Football League clubs vote to back controversial overhaul of academies
• Clubs support elite player performance plan
• System means changes to compensation formula
West Ham's academy will be among those affected by changes to youth development. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
Representatives of the 72 Football League clubs have voted to back a controversial overhaul of the player academy system that will make it easier for Premier League clubs to recruit young talent from smaller teams.
The vote was passed by 46 to 22, with three no-shows and one abstention. Had clubs rejected the plan, the Premier League would have withheld their funding for youth development – which is currently more than £5m per season.
The elite player performance plan will now replace the current tribunal system, which assesses player valuations based on evidence from each club. The new system will mean a selling club is paid £3,000 per year for every year of a player's development between the ages of nine and 11. The fee per year from 12 to 16 will range between £12,500 and £40,000.
Top clubs will also be exempted from the current rules preventing them from signing under-16s who live more than 90 minutes' travelling distance away (or an hour for under-12s), allowing them to scout and sign players from anywhere in the country.
Speaking before the vote, the Peterborough director Barry Fry warned the system could mean the closure of Football League youth academies.
Fry told the BBC: "What frightens me is that a lot of clubs will pull out of having a youth system altogether. Lower league clubs will look at how much it costs to run their academy or school of excellence and think that, if the Premier League can nick their best players for a low price, what is the point of investing in it?
"The Premier League wants everything and they want it for nothing. Football League clubs will moan about this at the meeting but vote for it because they have no choice."
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