A new report published today by European Club Association lays bare the challenges facing young players as they make the step up from academy to playing at senior level, possibly the most challenging step during a player’s entire career.

The report, Transition from Academy to First Team football, has been produced by ECA in association with Football Benchmark and is the latest in a series of studies by the association on youth football.

Ultimately, the key objectives of the study were to understand the first team transition process in Europe, provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of its current state and identify best practices from clubs to clubs. The comprehensive study found that the transition to the first team is possibly the most challenging step during a player’s entire career, and following detailed analysis, it provides a number of recommendations that clubs of all sizes across ECA’s membership can follow to help guide youngsters through this crucial milestone. 

Dennis Te Kloese, ECA Executive Board member and ECA Youth Football Working Group lead, said: “Regardless of a club’s size, location or strategy, we believe this new ECA study provides a valuable resource to improve first team transition rates, build a sustainable talent pipeline in Europe and provide a competitive edge for those who implement the report’s best practices and suggestions.

“While it became clear during the preparation of the report that transition is not a process that can or should be standardised, it was also confirmed that there are many aspects of it that are possible to influence and improve. Some of these require a philosophical shift that can take years to materialise, while others can be implemented in a short amount of time by any club, regardless of available resources.”

Charlie Marshall, ECA CEO, said: “The topic of young players’ transition to first team football has been of considerable interest among ECA clubs in recent years and was identified as one the most pressing concerns related to youth development.

“This new and comprehensive ECA study not only looks at this key moment from the player’s perspective but, importantly, it also comes up with conclusions and recommendations to give clubs a better understanding of the challenges around transition and provide guidance on how the process can be improved.

“For players, transition really is a crucial milestone in their career. For clubs, it can create a virtuous cycle: by committing resources, time and energy into the transition process, not only are short-term results boosted, but long-term expectations, for both the player and club, are also impacted positively.”

Andrea Sartori, Founder & CEO of Football Benchmark, said: “We are immensely proud to have collaborated with the ECA in co-authoring this report on such an important subject for the football community. As the industry becomes increasingly competitive and regulated, focusing on youth development is essential for achieving both on-field success and financial sustainability. We believe this comprehensive study on player transitions, with its many success stories presented in various case studies, offers invaluable guidance for football clubs of different sizes.”

The report also looks at which leagues and clubs were the most successful at providing first team debut opportunities and managing the transition.

The Premier League and English Football League lead the way in a five-year ranking between 2018/19 and 2022/23 of the total number of debuts, registering 381 and 353 debutants, followed by the first divisions of Italy, France and Spain. Considering a country’s population and its influence on the available talent pool, the highest divisions of countries such as Czechia, Serbia, Denmark, Croatia, and Norway are notable inclusions at the top of this ranking.

In terms of clubs, Atalanta BC is at the top by both debut and transition figures, with at least eight players debuted and seven players transitioned per season between 2018/19 and 2022/23 on average. Focusing on transitions, clubs at the top of the UEFA rankings, such as FC Internazionale Milano, Manchester City FC, SL Benfica, Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC, are all placed in the top 15. Clubs from Eastern European countries such as Ukraine (FC Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Dynamo Kyiv), Croatia (GNK Dinamo Zagreb, HNK Hajduk Split), Serbia (FK Crvena Zvezda, FK Čukarički), Romania (FCSB) and Slovakia (MŠK Žilina) also feature prominently in this five-year transition ranking.

The study also finds that quality coaches create quality players, since knowledge and passion originate from the coaches who develop the players.

Following that, European football is seeing the emergence of individual transition coaching – a dedicated person to oversee the integration of the different transition areas in an individualised manner which can provide a high value for clubs.

Additionally, further insights are also provided related to the supporting environment of players, the role of different stakeholders in this process, the internal dynamics and best practices of top academies, as well the regulatory and competition context of clubs in Europe.

Are you interested in more data & insights about youth football? The brand-new Football Benchmark Youth Football Platform delivers comprehensive and objective rankings of the top Under-21 players in Europe and South America. Additionally, it offers detailed statistics and insights into which clubs and leagues excel at transitioning players from academy to first-team football in Europe. Get your access today!