i reckon an Academy makes sense in League One or the Championship.

There is not much space in the Prem for untried question-mark kids. No matter how brilliant they are.

Kayla did Anfield & Old Trafford

But they do make you money if you sell them at the right time, like Chelsea have.

I would like to see the ground being redeveloped beyond all else, but a top club needs top facilities in all areas. We must use our spell in the PL to evolve.

After watching the highlights of todays match (about six times) I took a look at the academy opening footage on youtube and I was totally blown away by the quality of the facility. So I watched the speeches.

Great to see Gareth back at Palace and making a really very humble and touching speech. I became a bit emotional about the future it might offer - sure wine was involved and a difficult week on a personal level with serious family illness - but the strength of feeling I got that it wasn't just an investment in the few players who might make the first team but also in the whole community of South London was fantastic.

I mean well done to Wimbledon for reinventing themselves (at a lower level) but Millwall have not and Charlton are adrift in mediocrity.Palace are the stand out South London club now. No debate. The potential as we know as always been there but I think with PV, style of play and this facility it could start to be realised.

We often see amazing players coming through at other clubs only to find out they grew up in South London. No reason to go further afield now.

But the indirect benefit is that Palace are showing their community they the community is important (not just buying in adoration with money like Newcastle) then the chances are the community will support Palace and finding the next generation of Palace supporters is something we shouldn't take for granted.

Main stand next!

I suspect Chelsea would disagree given the amount of income their academy has brought in through sales (Guehi to us and Abraham to Roma for starters) and loan fees (a myriad). The Academy is as much a business as a source for first team talent.

Thanks for this Visitor. Very encouraging to know this.

Players have to live within 90 minutes (by public transport) of their youth team. The best way around this is to move a lad into the area of a club.
Accommodation and full time education is required, so to poach a players from another club needs those facilities, and they are expensive.
Brentford have three clubs almost within their part of West London and probably don't need to set up their own full academy. like Palace before, they probably have first dibs on young players at the other clubs in the area. It seems to be working.
Having an academy will stop a young player making the impassioned plea to mve to another academy with the same facilities and for any other academy to be able to claim superior facilities.
What Palace must do is ensure a young player has reason to feel he has that chance. Some clubs do it quite often and so must Palace.