Paper Presentation I:
The Market and the Law
Thursday, April 8, 15.15–17.15

Richard Elliott

Director of the Lawrie McMenemy Centre for Football Research, Southampton Solent University

The aim of this paper is to make sense of the effects of foreign player involvement in English football’s elite youth academy system.  Based upon a series of interviews conducted with academy Directors, Managers, Coaches, and Education and Welfare Officers at Premier League clubs, the paper argues that the involvement of foreign players should not be viewed negatively where indigenous players are increasingly forced to the margins of the professional game, or where the recruiting of foreign players results in the deskilling of donor nations.  Rather, by drawing on research located within the area of highly skilled migration, the paper argues that the involvement of foreign players should be seen to reflect processes of ‘feet-exchange’ (Elliott, 2009) where skills and knowledge circulate to improve overall standards of performance for indigenous and foreign players.  By drawing on concepts derived from the area of highly skilled migration, the paper concludes by arguing that the recruitment of foreign players to English football’s elite youth development system does not appear to act to the detriment of host and donor nations.  Rather, by recruiting foreign players to Premier League academies, and by integrating them with indigenous players, a culture is created which enhances the development potential of all players in those academies where foreign and indigenous players mix.

Reference

• Elliott, R. (2009). 'Feet-Drain' or 'Feet-Exchange'?: Examining the Effects of Elite Foreign Footballers in the Premier Academy League. Labour Market Migration in European Football: Issues and Challenges. Birkbeck Sports Business Centre: London.