Brighton and Hove Albion have announced a ground-breaking partnership that will accelerate the development of both clubs.
This new strategic plan with Scottish Premiership team Hibernian will focus on player development at both clubs by focusing on player development to find opportunities either through training or playing agreements.
This system will mean that all academy prospects will have the ability to access top level coaching, and play in very competitive leagues that will nurture their growth at a much higher rate than they would by playing within their own youth teams.
Different to the ‘feeder team’ system where clubs gain access to a smaller clubs proven youth development programmes, strategic partnerships aim to give access to data, scouting reports and players at little or no cost to the partnering team.
A hugely successful example of such being the partnership between Watford and Udinese, which saw a staggering 50 players shared between the clubs over a period of 10 years and has been a pivotal factor in Watford’s continued success with the club being promoted back to the Premier League this year.
Brighton’s technical director Dan Ashworth commented to the club website that “ This is a concept we have been discussing with our counterparts at Hibernian for some time.
“We want to share ideas and knowledge, with a focus on player development opportunities for both clubs, which could include training or playing opportunities for younger players, and friendly matches between various age groups.
“Both Hibernian and ourselves believe there is a real benefit to the partnership. Each club has a plan and identity, but it is clear we share some ideas, aims and ambitions, and we know how we want to achieve those.”
With the 16th placed finish this term, Brighton are striving to find ways to compete with bigger teams and find or develop first team players for lower costs, and such methods are proven ways to do so.
The Brexit concerns are also clearly addressed with this move, due to the freedom of movement’s end meaning that young players cannot be farmed to other European teams as work permit conditions indicate experience quotas that youth will not have.
The Scottish Premiership is the only other league with any standing in the United Kingdom, and therefore it is shrewd for Brighton to have partnered with a team that are one of the biggest teams outside of Rangers or Celtic in Scotland.
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