Based on the book by award-winning author Michael Calvin, 'No Hunger In Paradise' explores the academy system and the pressures and pitfalls that prevent young players from making it as a professional footballer.
You can watch it here - free: http://sport.bt.com/bt-sport-films-no-hunger-in-paradise-91364241852638
Would love to hear some of your opinions on the documentary, experiences with academies, development centres and more.
Thankfully, Saints are one of those clubs that conduct themselves with much better sense of grace and after care (I'm sure there's a few cases that haven't always felt like this.)
When I previously worked for a PL club, one of our satellite centres attending a termly fixture against the academy development side aged U11. In the fixture I was talking to the academy staff about players to consider and their traits to coach. I was then astonished at what I was told next.
"The number's x and x are twins from Sweden here for six weeks. We only wanted to trial one brother but parents wouldn't come unless the other could too." The boys both eleven at the time - had a house in Surrey paid for for six weeks, food paid for for the family, travel arranged etc" All the usual you'd associate with a Royal visit.
So roughly £20 - £30k spent on trialling two eleven year olds from Sweden, with neither particularly standing out in our evening and the fact they was released after five of the six weeks, suggests they 'wasn't up to the expected standard.'