The Value of Youth

So the value of youth is my question. I feel a little bit of a traitor to Wing and Quickball for raising this question.

But I just did the maths (I also checked the top teams and none of them seem to invest in youth) the top investment in youth costs 57,500 a week. Thats 920,000 a season in costs to run I am currently in Div IV and winning the youth league still puts me 850,000 in the hole per season.

Now the positives, this should give you roughly 5 decent +30* players per season. If you sell all of them you need to avg. 170,000. per player to break even. Which seems a bit of a stretch. Also it would be good to hang onto some of the talent for your own team.

So the question, how to max out your return? Sell them at 17 or 19+? Sell them anytime or sell them during round 1? Is it a good return for the investment?

My own little research shows you can get up to 760k for an U20 hopeful, but this seems very rare, (the buyer may have been on crack). Either way Im going to stick it out and try and get some players in the national team. But it would be nice not to make such a huge financial loss.

Al

In the main selling YA players aged 19 is a better bet than aged 17. Selling in R15-16 is also a good bet with prize money in the air. It might be selling in R7 is also good, people are still cash rich from the cup runs, and many will have been storing cash getting ready for the first bot clear out.

Thanks Tangy, good tips. what kind of returns do you get off your sold youth players, enough to cover costs?

I think normally one would expect to lose money running a YA. Yes some players will sell for $200k or more, but most will not. I've sold a few YA players recently, similar stars (same I think) and of course the same lvl 3 YA training, and the four had returns of $30k, $45k, $100k and $200k

So running a YA is about the extra dimension it adds to the game, that extra day of training results, caring about winning the YA league, and the hope you could scout a fantastic U20 player that you'd train, or a monster who'll make you millions.

If you want to run one at a profit I'd not run one. Just one further on the YA, it really should be lvl 3 training or nothing, you can certainly get away just a level 2 scout, and you can have a fully revealed YA with just a lvl 2 manager if you're patient, or even have no manager at all. Not having a lvl 3 scout and manager makes it a little trickier, no manager trickier still, but also much cheaper.

I agree fully. Ive gone full in with my YA set up and personally I am going to keep it and hope for some quality to come up soon. Currently at least the YA league is far more competitive than my actual league and its proving to be good fun.

I'd say the best bet (though Tangy is the one to listen to), it to work on u20s at 17, and have everyone else age to 19. Anyone with great physicals/discipline should be promoted ASAP.

generally my YA runs at a loss but this seasons its made 600K from 2 sales and produce a 72k csr guy thats good enough to replace my declining SH. So I reckon its broken even this season at least. i also have 2 U20 prospects getting 4 stars a match (which is massive this early) so ive high hopes for next season as well.

as with all things BR there an eliment of luck and YA will prob always make a loss in the long run but you do have enough control to minimise these losses.

4 stars, grumble grumble. Excellent news Flu, truly I'm delighted for you.

It is a big expense. I've got L3 academy, plus L3 scout and L2 manager. This costs $810,960 a season.

First place in D2 got me $97,200. That's an operating loss of $713,760 so far.

I've found that selling 19 year olds is more profitable than selling 17 year olds. 19 year olds are coming out around 60k CSR with this set up, and people will pay more for a well rounded player with a lot of 12s than a potential star at 35k CSR.

I sold two players for a combined $26,000, and one amazing sale at $501,000! Taking out the 5% tax, that's a profit of $500,650.

Take that away from the operating loss still leaves me with a season loss of £213,110.

I have promoted 8 players from the academy into my first team in the last two seasons, so in future I'll be able to sell more decent players. If I sold two of them at around $115,000 each, that would have me break even.

I'd say that it's possible to run the youth academy at a profit, but for most it must be a case of doing it for the love of the game.

eddbutt wrote:
I have promoted 8 players from the academy into my first team in the last two seasons, so in future I'll be able to sell more decent players.  If I sold two of them at around $115,000 each, that would have me break even.

There's an important point for the YA in this, but it will not apply to all clubs. The players will now certainly be coming out aged 19 (about to turn 20) at 60KCSR and above if in a level 3 YA scouted with 16+ stars, many such will now come out 70K CSR+ on standard basis now that cap on a 12 rated skill isn't so harsh. So if you can make use of players rated 70-80K CSR aged 19, possibly even then training a few, coming into your seniors the YA has still more value. If on the other hand even a 110K CSR player would pathetically weaken your senior team then the YA does not afford that added value.

Whether there's value in such players to sell at decent returns will depend on how many lvl 3 YAs remain open. If they start to flood the market they'll derive much smaller returns.

There is a good feeling to having a good YA set up, I like thinking at my current standard that a few academy lads will end up in the first 15. I have 2 youngsters that will be jumped straight into the starting line up when they promote.

Monetarily last season i sold on about 550k over the season, this current batch look more disappointing having lower star ratings. The U20 potential is really where (if lucky) money can be made, as Tangy said in a couple of seasons the top 19/20 year olds will be 2 a penny.

the top 19/20 year olds will still be worth plenty. but there's a decent chance that 70-80K CSR players will be the norm and sell for $0.50 or less per CSR point

Soon though there will 90kers. I am sure of it. These players will mature and become great club players for many sides.

My top youth is predicted to be 88k currently with 2 weeks of training before he is promoted. I'm expecting he won't be far short of 90k.

Ok we have established the value of youth. Next question, its time I feel to break out into the U20 national scene. Season 24 U20 World cup players need to be born into the blackout rugby world at the tender age of 16, ripping there fantasy mothers in two in just a few weeks time.
So rather than giving Widget the problem of a dozen locks to choose from and no back rows I wanted to see if there a discussion group set up for this already and if not set it up?

Whoa! Im talking crazy! Season 26 U20 world cup players, not season 24. What am I like?

set it up if you like mate

I only bloody will!

legend

I take it you will be joining in with a couple of players yourself wing?

unfortunately not this time shotgun , my affiliates are simply not ready to play

I will be promoting a couple

I have 280 stars for my PI affiliate, 70 for my Georgian affiliate (although I have very poor facilities there, am aiming for 3 seasons time for YPs there) and 280 for my main English team

If people tell me what they want me to try to pull then I will do my best

I will go for 4x70 pulls I think; will only be able to train one of them though