The mission of the ECA Youth Football Working Group is to stimulate, develop and protect youth development within European club football.
The Working Group will particularly deal with:
- Youth development and academies.
- Youth tournaments and competitions.
- Protection of minors and the first professional contract.
- International regulations having an impact on youth development.
- The youth football collaboration charter.
- Education programmes for young athletes and managers in academies.
- The promotion of the recommendations of the ECA Report on Youth academies.
The objective of the ECA Youth Working Group is to safeguard and stimulate club investments on youth training and to emphasise the social function of youth education.
Main Achievements:
Thanks to the joint commitment of the Working Group's members, several services have been developed for the benefit of the entire ECA Membership:
- ECA Academy Visits
- ‘ECA 12 Quality Areas’ report
- ‘Early International Migration of Youth Players in Europe and their career paths (2011-2022)’ report
- Youth Knowledge Exchange