In the past two years, there has been a noticeable increase in the inclusion of teenagers into professional football. These footballers are always welcomed with high expectations. Some may reach these expectations, while others may fail to meet up. However, the rushed inclusion of these teenage players into first-team football is concerning. In this article, we will be discussing five reasons why the increased inclusion of teenagers into professional football should be discouraged.
Reasons to Discourage the Increased Inclusion of Teenagers into Professional Football
1. It Promotes Unrealistic Expectations On The Young Player
In the early 2000s, young players allowed to play first-team football were not burdened with so much expectation to perform. Fast forward to recent years, there has been more inclusion of players between the teenage ages into professional first-team football than ever before.
As alarming as this is, football teams have ignored it. Many football teams, particularly in Europe, place unrealistic expectations on these young players to carry the weight of responsibility of this team. Through the mainstream media, the management of these football teams has mounted pressure on these kids.
For instance, Lamine Yamal, an 18-year-old FC Barcelona player, has been labeled as the “next Lionel Messi.” Many have tried to draw similarities between his performance and that of the legendary player. Looking at this situation from a moral viewpoint, it should not be encouraged.
The effect of these unrealistic expectations on these teenagers may have a good side. To be honest, it could become a motivating factor to their success in the long run. On the other hand, the negatives of these expectations greatly outweigh the positives. For instance, a teenager may become overly worked up trying to live up to the expectations the media have placed on him.
As a result, he could promote egoism as he sees himself as the “next superstar”. In addition, it could also lead to feelings of self-worthlessness when it appears that he may not be able to live up to the expectations placed on him.
2. Starting Too Early May Lead To Burnout
Another reason the increased inclusion of teenagers into first-team football should be discouraged is that it may lead to burnout. This is true because rushing a player into the first team for week-in-week-out football could lead to fatigue of these footballers.
To emphasize this, many football leagues are so physically demanding that almost every week there’s an injury to a player. For example, a study in the English Premier League in 2020 showed that players face a higher risk of sustaining injury in games than other European Leagues. Now, imagine starting a teenage player in this kind of football league every week. What do you think could happen? Your guess is as good as mine!
If suffered repeatedly, these injuries could cause a teenage footballer to lose his football form. After losing his football form, the young player is exposed to criticisms both on and off the pitch from the fans. For a young teenager, these could be too much to handle. Dele Alli, a player who retired at age 24 due to reoccurring burnout injuries says about the devasting effect of burnouts and criticisms he suffered afterwards;
“I got addicted to sleeping tablets and it’s probably a problem that not only I have. I think it’s something that is going around more than people realize in football”. This statement by Dele Alli shows that burnout could have a physical and even tougher emotional backdrop on these players.
3. May Lead To Disruption Of Education
Usually, between the ages of 16 and 19 years, a teenager is supposed to be involved in a crucial education process. It is termed “crucial” because the education received at this age would go on to shape the kind of person the teenager would become. However, when a teenager is rushed into professional football at this tender age, it could affect his education.
At this point, education is no longer a priority to the young footballer. Instead, making money or striving to meet the hype would be the priority to him. This would go on to have adverse effects on the life of this footballer when he retires or when life’s unforeseen circumstances encounter his career.
Acquiring education should not be underestimated, especially in the life of a young footballer. In most cases, the education received can be useful if a footballer makes an unplanned retirement, possibly due to reoccurring injuries.
At this point, the footballer faces the life challenges that an average man has. So, the education and knowledge received can help these individuals sustain a job when they retire. This is the same event that happened in the lives of many footballers who had prior education before becoming a footballer.
4. Players May Experience Their Prime Too Early
The average footballers experience their prime years between the ages of 25 and 27 years. For an average footballer who started his professional football career at 20, this is the time when he enjoys playing football and starts winning trophies. A footballer usually experiences this prime period spending 5 – 7 years playing professional football.
Also, they occur when a player begins to near his retirement age. As such, the body may start to experience stunted development afterward. Now, for a player who makes his debut in professional football debut at 17 years of age, the prime years would occur between the ages of 22 and 24 years.
As expected, the young footballer would then begin to experience stunted development after these years. The clubs who have placed high expectations on him would expect his best football in ages when an average player hits his prime. However, due to being rushed into professional football, the footballer may fail to show consistency during these periods.
Conclusion
No doubt, the inclusion of teenage footballers into first-team football has its advantages, such as increased experience and improved leadership skills. However, in reality, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Most especially, the physical and emotional burden that these players have to cope with at a young age is something that football teams should consider before approving the inclusion of these young ballers.
