'The start of hard work to come': What signing a professional contract could mean for
SINGAPORE: Penning a professional contract with a Premier League club is a massive achievement, English footballers past and present told Channel NewsAsia, but making the step up to the first team presents a big challenge for youngsters like Benjamin Davis.
Having joined Fulham on a scholarship in July last year, it was announced last Friday (Jul 13) that the 17-year-old midfielder had signed a two-year professional contract with the Cottagers. Davis is the first Singaporean to ink a professional contract with a club in the top flight of English football.
AdvertisementFor a young player to do so represents a milestone, said former Premier League midfielder Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
"You've worked so hard to get to the point of having a chance and the actual number of footballers (in all of England) who get that first professional contract is minute," the former Blackpool and Leicester City man explained.
"It's a massive achievement, but it's only the start of the hard work to come."
"It's fantastic, when you've signed a professional contract - it's the best feeling in your life," agreed former goalkeeper John Burridge, who clocked almost 800 appearances for over 25 clubs in the United Kingdom. "But you still haven't made it yet."
AdvertisementAdvertisementPlayers at top tier English academies have a better chance of being offered a professional contract than those at the lower rungs, according to a 2017 Guardian article citing statistics from the Premier League. Fulham are one of 15 Premier League and nine Championship clubs in that top tier, where 65 per cent of their 18-year-olds got offered such contracts last year.
But signing a professional contract is just the beginning. From then on, they will get to train either with the first team, U-23s or U-18s, depending on how good they are.
Gary Taylor-Fletcher celebrates a goal for Blackpool scored against Manchester United in the English Premier League. (Photo: AFP/Paul Ellis)
"It all depends on the coaches and how they see the player developing," said Taylor-Fletcher, who signed his first professional contract with Leyton Orient.
"If he's someone who is a big lad and who has developed well, then he might be put straight in with the U-23s. But usually at that age, they'll have a year or two with the U-18s before they make the step up."
"To get into the first team, that's an even bigger step up again," added Taylor-Fletcher. "At 18 you sign a contract, you might not play in the first team till you're 21 or 22."
Such was the case for Crewe Alexandra defender Perry Ng, a 22-year-old Englishman who qualifies to play for Singapore as his paternal grandfather is Singaporean.
After signing his first professional contract at 18, Ng took close to two years to make his first start for Crewe.
"It was very difficult at first because I was a young pro and wasn’t getting selected so I had to work hard and try to impress in training," he said.
"Most got released at the end of their contract and now play for semi-pro teams, or some went to university."
As for Ng, he had to drop to the lower divisions to get more game time, towards the end of his first season as a professional.
"This was good for me as I got to play men's football for the first time and show Crewe that they could trust me playing against men," he added.
Ng is currently a mainstay with the League Two side, but he stressed that it is tough for young players to make the leap to the first team.
"Most other clubs don’t really give young lads a chance unless they are an exceptional talent," he said. "So I owe a lot to Crewe for giving me the chance at such a young age as many other young lads don’t even get a chance."
Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon celebrates promotion to the Premier League with the trophy (Photo: Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine)
One such talent that Davis could seek inspiration from is Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon, who joined the Cottagers' academy at the age of eight, making his first start for the club in 2016 at the age of 16.
Similar to Davis, Sessegnon was also on a scholarship contract before turning professional. But while the Singaporean has mostly been featuring for the U-18s, Sessegnon played for the first team while he was on scholarship, scoring seven goals in 30 appearances in the 2016-2017 season.
After signing a professional contract, the 18-year-old last season became the first player from outside the top flight to be shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year award.
But the speedy Sessegnon, who plays as a left back or left winger, is the exception rather than the norm.
The latest CIES Football Observatory report found that in the English top flight, of the players who spent at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21 at their clubs, only one in 10 graduated from their academies.
"At some of the top Premier League clubs now, it is very difficult to get the youngsters through," said Taylor-Fletcher, who has moved into management after a long playing career. "With the amount of money in the game and the pressure on managers to succeed, they will often go out and buy somebody ready made, rather than developing someone."
However, the door remains open for Davis to make his first start in one of the world's top leagues.
Premier League rules state that each club can use an unlimited number of U-21 players throughout the season, on top of their 25-man squad.
At the start of the 2017/18 Premier League season, there were an average of 49 players in each club registered as U-21 players, including those signed on contracts and scholars. A number of these players went on to feature in their respective clubs' campaigns, such as Arsenal's Alex Iwobi, Chelsea's Andreas Christensen and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Davis could be registered as a U-21 player for Fulham in the upcoming season, but whether he will make his Premier League bow remains to be seen.
"He needs to stay focused, train hard and dedicate himself (to football), said Burridge, a former goalkeeping coach with Singapore.
"Everybody's got a different mentality, some people will strive and progress with a winning mentality," added Taylor-Fletcher. "It all depends on the personality of the individual, and on the coaches at the U-18 and U-23 squads."
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SINGAPORE: Penning a professional contract with a Premier League club is a massive achievement, English footballers past and present told Channel NewsAsia, but making the step up to the first team presents a big challenge for youngsters like Benjamin Davis.
Having joined Fulham on a scholarship in July last year, it was announced last Friday (Jul 13) that the 17-year-old midfielder had signed a two-year professional contract with the Cottagers. Davis is the first Singaporean to ink a professional contract with a club in the top flight of English football.
AdvertisementFor a young player to do so represents a milestone, said former Premier League midfielder Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
"You've worked so hard to get to the point of having a chance and the actual number of footballers (in all of England) who get that first professional contract is minute," the former Blackpool and Leicester City man explained.
"It's a massive achievement, but it's only the start of the hard work to come."
"It's fantastic, when you've signed a professional contract - it's the best feeling in your life," agreed former goalkeeper John Burridge, who clocked almost 800 appearances for over 25 clubs in the United Kingdom. "But you still haven't made it yet."
AdvertisementAdvertisementPlayers at top tier English academies have a better chance of being offered a professional contract than those at the lower rungs, according to a 2017 Guardian article citing statistics from the Premier League. Fulham are one of 15 Premier League and nine Championship clubs in that top tier, where 65 per cent of their 18-year-olds got offered such contracts last year.
But signing a professional contract is just the beginning. From then on, they will get to train either with the first team, U-23s or U-18s, depending on how good they are.
"It all depends on the coaches and how they see the player developing," said Taylor-Fletcher, who signed his first professional contract with Leyton Orient.
"If he's someone who is a big lad and who has developed well, then he might be put straight in with the U-23s. But usually at that age, they'll have a year or two with the U-18s before they make the step up."
"To get into the first team, that's an even bigger step up again," added Taylor-Fletcher. "At 18 you sign a contract, you might not play in the first team till you're 21 or 22."
Such was the case for Crewe Alexandra defender Perry Ng, a 22-year-old Englishman who qualifies to play for Singapore as his paternal grandfather is Singaporean.
After signing his first professional contract at 18, Ng took close to two years to make his first start for Crewe.
"It was very difficult at first because I was a young pro and wasn’t getting selected so I had to work hard and try to impress in training," he said.
"Most got released at the end of their contract and now play for semi-pro teams, or some went to university."
As for Ng, he had to drop to the lower divisions to get more game time, towards the end of his first season as a professional.
"This was good for me as I got to play men's football for the first time and show Crewe that they could trust me playing against men," he added.
Ng is currently a mainstay with the League Two side, but he stressed that it is tough for young players to make the leap to the first team.
"Most other clubs don’t really give young lads a chance unless they are an exceptional talent," he said. "So I owe a lot to Crewe for giving me the chance at such a young age as many other young lads don’t even get a chance."
One such talent that Davis could seek inspiration from is Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon, who joined the Cottagers' academy at the age of eight, making his first start for the club in 2016 at the age of 16.
Similar to Davis, Sessegnon was also on a scholarship contract before turning professional. But while the Singaporean has mostly been featuring for the U-18s, Sessegnon played for the first team while he was on scholarship, scoring seven goals in 30 appearances in the 2016-2017 season.
After signing a professional contract, the 18-year-old last season became the first player from outside the top flight to be shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year award.
But the speedy Sessegnon, who plays as a left back or left winger, is the exception rather than the norm.
The latest CIES Football Observatory report found that in the English top flight, of the players who spent at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21 at their clubs, only one in 10 graduated from their academies.
"At some of the top Premier League clubs now, it is very difficult to get the youngsters through," said Taylor-Fletcher, who has moved into management after a long playing career. "With the amount of money in the game and the pressure on managers to succeed, they will often go out and buy somebody ready made, rather than developing someone."
However, the door remains open for Davis to make his first start in one of the world's top leagues.
Premier League rules state that each club can use an unlimited number of U-21 players throughout the season, on top of their 25-man squad.
At the start of the 2017/18 Premier League season, there were an average of 49 players in each club registered as U-21 players, including those signed on contracts and scholars. A number of these players went on to feature in their respective clubs' campaigns, such as Arsenal's Alex Iwobi, Chelsea's Andreas Christensen and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Davis could be registered as a U-21 player for Fulham in the upcoming season, but whether he will make his Premier League bow remains to be seen.
"He needs to stay focused, train hard and dedicate himself (to football), said Burridge, a former goalkeeping coach with Singapore.
"Everybody's got a different mentality, some people will strive and progress with a winning mentality," added Taylor-Fletcher. "It all depends on the personality of the individual, and on the coaches at the U-18 and U-23 squads."
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