97% of former elite academy players now aged 21 to 26 years old failed to make a single Premier League appearance, official statistics revealed & 70% are not even handed a contract by any PL or English league club.

Asked what improvements had been made to better support released academy players, a Football Association spokesperson said: “The professional leagues and their clubs are primarily responsible for the development and wellbeing of players who are active in the elite academy system, and bespoke regulations are employed throughout.

Mmm, 'Bespoke regulations are employed' - Of the 4,109 former academy footballers only one in 10 has gone on to make more than 20 league appearances in the top four tiers of English football.

Makes Leeds Utd a stand out organisation in the way youth is bought through & the way all coaching staff observe rules of 'Bespoke regulations' regarding first team bedding in procedure - the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) was launched to professionalise the academy system and set out to put players “at the centre of the process” not clubs, agents or supporters whims.

The Report analysis - was of players born from 1 September 1995 to 31 August 2000 includes 4,109 players who were registered at Category One academies. Category One status is awarded to the top-tier academies that represent almost the entirety of the Premier League — including the Big Six of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United — and several clubs in the Championship.