To help give a greater indication of life at the Crystal Palace Academy and how it can help young footballers develop, the following quotes have been taken from four current academy players at the club - Alex Wynter, Kadell Daniel, Ryan Inniss and Rhys Murrell-Williamson.
Alex Wynter joined the club at the age of just 9 after being scouted by the management team. He has so far made one appearance for the club with a bright future expected.
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| Alex Wynter |
Words of advice to young footballers - "Don't be attracted by the big names"
Opportunities offered by the Crystal Palace Academy - “The opportunity to work closely with the pros and push through to first team at an early age”
Alex believes that young footballers should not want to join a club based on their name and history, but on those where they will receive the best possible opportunities to develop and potentially play in the first team.
Kadell Daniel joined the club when he was 15 after being spotted playing Sunday league football.
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| Kadell Daniel |
Words of advice to young footballers - “The opportunities at this club are second to none and have confidence in your ability”
Why choose Crystal Palace - “Crystal Palace are known to draft through their youngsters, whereas it takes longer for players to come through at a premiership club”
Opportunities offered by the Crystal Palace Academy - "Gives players the opportunity to train with and around the first team, which can only improve you"
Academy environment - "Everyone is friendly from the first-team staff to players, we're one big family"
Kadell believes that Crystal Palace offer young footballers the chance to develop and progress to the first-team quicker than at other clubs whilst being able to train with the first-team players in a relaxed and supportive environment.
Ryan Inniss joined the club at the age of 14 after again being scouted. He has already gone to play for England in his age group and captain the international side.
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| Ryan Inniss |
Why choose Crystal Palace – “The history and success rate of previous young players playing for the first-team”
Opportunities offered by the Crystal Palace Academy – “Close work with the senior professionals and getting a taste of the professional lifestyle. It is as good as any other club if not better in my eyes as I have witnessed my friends and myself develop a lot in the small space of a year or two”
Ryan sees the previous success of the Crystal Palace Academy being the focal point as to why young footballers should look to join the club as he has overseen both his own development and that of others whilst learning what it will be like to be a professional footballer.
Rhys Murrell-Williamson joined Crystal Palace from Fulham at the age of 15 after being scouted.
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| Rhys Murrell-Williamson |
Words of advice to young footballers – “Take it seriously from the start”
Why choose Crystal Palace – “Young players have more of a chance of breaking into the first team”
Rhys believes that Crystal Palace offers young footballers the chance to develop and progress to the first-team if they work hard and show the management that they are committed to being as good as they possibly can.
Overall, the views of these four academy players help to highlight advantages of joining Crystal Palace at a young age drawn from their own experiences. There is a belief that players are given more of a chance to progress than they may get at other teams and that the club is so close together at all levels that young players gain help and advice from the senior footballers to aid them in the growth.
