Post by Macmoish on Aug 5, 2011 16:24:13 GMT
I don't believe I saw this on the QPR Official Site!
BBC
Luton 'receive assurances' over player compensation
Luton Town have said they believe they are entitled to compensation over the departure of three youth players.
The Hatters had reported Peterborough and Brentford to the Football League for what they believed were illegal approaches for players.
Under Football League rules, clubs like Luton lose their right to compensation for youngsters after two years out of the competition.
But the Hatters have said they have received "assurances" to the contrary.
Luton academy members Charlie Smith, Jemale McKenzie-Lowe and Michael Richens have joined QPR, Brentford and Posh respectively this summer.
RULES ON APPROACHING NON-LEAGUE YOUNGSTERS
•Clubs lose their right to compensation after two years out of the Football League
•It is illegal to approach players before the two years has expired, unless permission is given by the parent club
•Other clubs, such as Cambridge United, have got around the rule by creating "home-made" contracts with players
But the Hatters say they have received an initial offer from QPR for Smith.
In a statement on the club's website Luton youth development officer Gregg Broughton said: "We have received assurances from the football authorities that we are entitled to compensation for all three players.
"The Premier League plans to completely reshape youth development in England from July 2012.
"And we have received reassurances from Ged Roddy, director of youth at the Premier League, that these plans include former Football League clubs that have a record for producing players.
"Therefore, considering that at the end of this season, regardless of promotion, our young players could be protected again, we appealed to the Football League and Football Association that this protection should continue in the interim.
"Following a meeting of the Professional Game Board last week, we received notification that this appeal had been looked on favourably and that all players on long-term contracts (including youth team players) would be subject to compensation tribunals upon moving clubs."
In July, Peterborough responded to Luton's claims by saying: "Peterborough United are disappointed with the integrity shown by Luton Town FC towards the allegations, which we will, of course, contest in the appropriate manner."
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14424070.stm
LUTON OFFICIAL STATEMENT
CLUB STATEMENT
Posted on: Fri 05 Aug 2011
There has been plenty of speculation concerning the Club's youth programme of late and we thought it was important that you had an official update with the Under-18s, given they start their fixture season tomorrow morning against Colchester United (at Ely Way, 11am).
Player Registrations
Luton Town have known from the outset that after two years outside of the Football League our ability to retain players would be affected due to Football League Regulations. Although it was clear that funding from the Football League would stop as of July 1st, the issue that wasn't clear concerned player registrations.
Clubs previously facing this situation have either withdrawn from the Football League's fixture programme (eg Cambridge United) or have had their players protected by international transfer rules (eg Wrexham). In addition to this the Premier League plans to completely reshape Youth Development in England from July 2012, and we have received reassurances from Ged Roddy , Director of Youth at the Premier League, that these plans include former Football League clubs that have a record for producing players.
Therefore, considering that at the end of this season, regardless of promotion, our young players could be protected again, we appealed to the Football League and Football Association that this protection should continue in the interim. The fact that our investors continue to ensure that we will comply with and surpass all Football League guidelines on Youth Development has helped strengthen this argument enormously. Following a meeting of the Professional Game Board last week we received notification that this appeal had been looked on favourably and that all players on long term contracts (including youth team players) would be subject to compensation tribunals upon moving clubs.
As of today we have been notified by the Football League that three players (out of 128) have used this freedom of contract to sign contracts at other clubs. Charlie Smith (Under-16) has signed for QPR, Jemale McKenzie-Lowe (Under-16) has signed for Brentford, and Michael Richens (Under-17) has signed for Peterborough United.
We have received assurances from the Football Authorities that we are entitled to compensation for all three players. We have already received an initial offer from QPR concerning Charlie and full details will be released once an agreement is reached.
The Club will not be commenting further on Peterborough United's statement until the issue has been dealt with by the Football Authorities.
Other players may choose to join these three over the coming months, but Luton Town have always given players the opportunity to progress regardless of our league position and this gives us enormous strength when recruiting players for the future.
Matthew Upson, Jack Wilshere and Jerome Thomas all left the club when we were in the Championship/League One before impacting on our first team. What must be remembered is that these three are in a minority, with the vast majority leaving Luton to be never heard of again.
Since 2020 have taken over the club we have made enormous strides forward with youth development, in fact it's no coincidence that a vast majority of the players currently being linked away from the club have only been recruited over the past three years. This leaves us very optimistic that we will be equally successful in recruiting their replacements. Key staff in this area, including Recruitment Officer John Doyle and Head of Talent Identification Kevin Thoburn are working as hard as ever on this area of the business.
Staffing
In my programme notes for the play-off semi final against Wrexham I wrote: "It is an honour and a privilege to work for Luton Town, irrelevant of our League status, and it is important as staff that we put our young players in a position where they understand the size and potential of this Football Club."
Nothing has changed my mind on this and if anything it has made all of us more committed to succeed this season.
Unfortunately we had to lose two valuable members of staff in Martin Prickett and Alison Owen whose roles were funded directly by the Football League.
In addition our youth team coach Jon De Souza left the club to join another former colleague Stuart English and take up a similar role at Brentford. I was responsible for bringing both Stuart and Jon to the Football Club full-time after recognising their potential as young coaches. During his time at Luton Town Jon worked tirelessly for the club and well beyond the regular hours most people put into their jobs. He has a bright future in the game and we wish him well as we wouldn't be where we are right now without his input.
As with players who leave the club, their loss is another coach's opportunity. The investors have backed our ability to replace them and just as we feel our track record on recognising talented players is pretty good, we also feel our ability to recognise coaching staff with potential also stands up to scrutiny.
We have brought in Paul Driver who was assistant manager at Rushden and Diamonds last season to oversee the youth team and he brings with him a record of overachieving on the pitch with the resources he has had to work with. It is great to see so many of his former charges doing well with Simeon Jackson at Norwich City, Lee Tomlin and Joe Day at Peterborough United.
Joe Deeney has moved from Under-14 coach to take the Under-16s and he now thoroughly deserves this opportunity. He brings the same levels of enthusiasm and energy that supporters will remember he had as a young pro at Luton Town. We are also incredibly lucky to retain Wayne Turner and Lee Cowley who will continue to work with these age groups and mentor Joe just as they did with Jon before him.
Finally we have taken on one of last season's interns Jordan McCann who I believe has the potential to work at the highest level. After graduating from Loughborough (the country's top Sports Science University) he is currently studying for his Masters degree. These academic qualifications underpin his knowledge and enthusiasm for the game where I believe he could go on and coach at the top.
In conclusion
Speculation will continue to be rife all season due to the Club's first team standing but once we ride this storm we will be in a much healthier position.
Promotion to the Football League will guarantee security, but ironically the non-promotion will also not impact due to the Premier League's new plans. Upon hearing rumours remember that there are a lot of agents and other clubs who could benefit enormously from destabilising our Youth programme.
However, we continue to maintain excellent working relationships with many of the Premier League's biggest clubs who recognise Luton Town's ability to produce talented footballers both now and for the future.
Rest assured that enormous progress has been made and will continue despite the hardships being faced.
Adam Watkins's progress in pre-season has been great to see, and with his technical ability and tactical understanding, he will hopefully be the next player to break through. He will face competition from the other first year professionals and second year scholars who are also knocking on the door.
Supporters of Luton Youth Development (SoLYD) will continue their superb fundraising efforts for the Youth Development department this season.
SoLYD makes an important contribution to the Youth Development department which we greatly value. We ask all Luton fans and local businesses to continue backing SoLYD as generously as they have done in the past.
Gregg Broughton
www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~2411138,00.html
BBC
Luton 'receive assurances' over player compensation
Luton Town have said they believe they are entitled to compensation over the departure of three youth players.
The Hatters had reported Peterborough and Brentford to the Football League for what they believed were illegal approaches for players.
Under Football League rules, clubs like Luton lose their right to compensation for youngsters after two years out of the competition.
But the Hatters have said they have received "assurances" to the contrary.
Luton academy members Charlie Smith, Jemale McKenzie-Lowe and Michael Richens have joined QPR, Brentford and Posh respectively this summer.
RULES ON APPROACHING NON-LEAGUE YOUNGSTERS
•Clubs lose their right to compensation after two years out of the Football League
•It is illegal to approach players before the two years has expired, unless permission is given by the parent club
•Other clubs, such as Cambridge United, have got around the rule by creating "home-made" contracts with players
But the Hatters say they have received an initial offer from QPR for Smith.
In a statement on the club's website Luton youth development officer Gregg Broughton said: "We have received assurances from the football authorities that we are entitled to compensation for all three players.
"The Premier League plans to completely reshape youth development in England from July 2012.
"And we have received reassurances from Ged Roddy, director of youth at the Premier League, that these plans include former Football League clubs that have a record for producing players.
"Therefore, considering that at the end of this season, regardless of promotion, our young players could be protected again, we appealed to the Football League and Football Association that this protection should continue in the interim.
"Following a meeting of the Professional Game Board last week, we received notification that this appeal had been looked on favourably and that all players on long-term contracts (including youth team players) would be subject to compensation tribunals upon moving clubs."
In July, Peterborough responded to Luton's claims by saying: "Peterborough United are disappointed with the integrity shown by Luton Town FC towards the allegations, which we will, of course, contest in the appropriate manner."
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/14424070.stm
LUTON OFFICIAL STATEMENT
CLUB STATEMENT
Posted on: Fri 05 Aug 2011
There has been plenty of speculation concerning the Club's youth programme of late and we thought it was important that you had an official update with the Under-18s, given they start their fixture season tomorrow morning against Colchester United (at Ely Way, 11am).
Player Registrations
Luton Town have known from the outset that after two years outside of the Football League our ability to retain players would be affected due to Football League Regulations. Although it was clear that funding from the Football League would stop as of July 1st, the issue that wasn't clear concerned player registrations.
Clubs previously facing this situation have either withdrawn from the Football League's fixture programme (eg Cambridge United) or have had their players protected by international transfer rules (eg Wrexham). In addition to this the Premier League plans to completely reshape Youth Development in England from July 2012, and we have received reassurances from Ged Roddy , Director of Youth at the Premier League, that these plans include former Football League clubs that have a record for producing players.
Therefore, considering that at the end of this season, regardless of promotion, our young players could be protected again, we appealed to the Football League and Football Association that this protection should continue in the interim. The fact that our investors continue to ensure that we will comply with and surpass all Football League guidelines on Youth Development has helped strengthen this argument enormously. Following a meeting of the Professional Game Board last week we received notification that this appeal had been looked on favourably and that all players on long term contracts (including youth team players) would be subject to compensation tribunals upon moving clubs.
As of today we have been notified by the Football League that three players (out of 128) have used this freedom of contract to sign contracts at other clubs. Charlie Smith (Under-16) has signed for QPR, Jemale McKenzie-Lowe (Under-16) has signed for Brentford, and Michael Richens (Under-17) has signed for Peterborough United.
We have received assurances from the Football Authorities that we are entitled to compensation for all three players. We have already received an initial offer from QPR concerning Charlie and full details will be released once an agreement is reached.
The Club will not be commenting further on Peterborough United's statement until the issue has been dealt with by the Football Authorities.
Other players may choose to join these three over the coming months, but Luton Town have always given players the opportunity to progress regardless of our league position and this gives us enormous strength when recruiting players for the future.
Matthew Upson, Jack Wilshere and Jerome Thomas all left the club when we were in the Championship/League One before impacting on our first team. What must be remembered is that these three are in a minority, with the vast majority leaving Luton to be never heard of again.
Since 2020 have taken over the club we have made enormous strides forward with youth development, in fact it's no coincidence that a vast majority of the players currently being linked away from the club have only been recruited over the past three years. This leaves us very optimistic that we will be equally successful in recruiting their replacements. Key staff in this area, including Recruitment Officer John Doyle and Head of Talent Identification Kevin Thoburn are working as hard as ever on this area of the business.
Staffing
In my programme notes for the play-off semi final against Wrexham I wrote: "It is an honour and a privilege to work for Luton Town, irrelevant of our League status, and it is important as staff that we put our young players in a position where they understand the size and potential of this Football Club."
Nothing has changed my mind on this and if anything it has made all of us more committed to succeed this season.
Unfortunately we had to lose two valuable members of staff in Martin Prickett and Alison Owen whose roles were funded directly by the Football League.
In addition our youth team coach Jon De Souza left the club to join another former colleague Stuart English and take up a similar role at Brentford. I was responsible for bringing both Stuart and Jon to the Football Club full-time after recognising their potential as young coaches. During his time at Luton Town Jon worked tirelessly for the club and well beyond the regular hours most people put into their jobs. He has a bright future in the game and we wish him well as we wouldn't be where we are right now without his input.
As with players who leave the club, their loss is another coach's opportunity. The investors have backed our ability to replace them and just as we feel our track record on recognising talented players is pretty good, we also feel our ability to recognise coaching staff with potential also stands up to scrutiny.
We have brought in Paul Driver who was assistant manager at Rushden and Diamonds last season to oversee the youth team and he brings with him a record of overachieving on the pitch with the resources he has had to work with. It is great to see so many of his former charges doing well with Simeon Jackson at Norwich City, Lee Tomlin and Joe Day at Peterborough United.
Joe Deeney has moved from Under-14 coach to take the Under-16s and he now thoroughly deserves this opportunity. He brings the same levels of enthusiasm and energy that supporters will remember he had as a young pro at Luton Town. We are also incredibly lucky to retain Wayne Turner and Lee Cowley who will continue to work with these age groups and mentor Joe just as they did with Jon before him.
Finally we have taken on one of last season's interns Jordan McCann who I believe has the potential to work at the highest level. After graduating from Loughborough (the country's top Sports Science University) he is currently studying for his Masters degree. These academic qualifications underpin his knowledge and enthusiasm for the game where I believe he could go on and coach at the top.
In conclusion
Speculation will continue to be rife all season due to the Club's first team standing but once we ride this storm we will be in a much healthier position.
Promotion to the Football League will guarantee security, but ironically the non-promotion will also not impact due to the Premier League's new plans. Upon hearing rumours remember that there are a lot of agents and other clubs who could benefit enormously from destabilising our Youth programme.
However, we continue to maintain excellent working relationships with many of the Premier League's biggest clubs who recognise Luton Town's ability to produce talented footballers both now and for the future.
Rest assured that enormous progress has been made and will continue despite the hardships being faced.
Adam Watkins's progress in pre-season has been great to see, and with his technical ability and tactical understanding, he will hopefully be the next player to break through. He will face competition from the other first year professionals and second year scholars who are also knocking on the door.
Supporters of Luton Youth Development (SoLYD) will continue their superb fundraising efforts for the Youth Development department this season.
SoLYD makes an important contribution to the Youth Development department which we greatly value. We ask all Luton fans and local businesses to continue backing SoLYD as generously as they have done in the past.
Gregg Broughton
www.lutontown.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10372~2411138,00.html