Few Huddersfield Town fans would have batted an eyelid at Leeds United’s capture of 16-year-old Ryan Edmondson from non-league York City earlier this month.

But scrape the surface and there is an intriguing sub-plot involving Town’s own youth development and the recent decision to downgrade their Academy from a Category II set-up to Category IV.

At the time the club cited the decision as the Academy’s failure to deliver on the remit it was originally intended for – to produce players good enough for the first team at Town.

Jon Stead is the only fully homegrown Premier League player Huddersfield Town have developed since 1999.
Jon Stead is the only fully homegrown Premier League player Huddersfield Town have developed since 1999.

Since its inception 18 years ago the results (or lack of them) have spoken for themselves - only Jon Stead coming through the ranks to become a Premier League player (albeit briefly) while others have forged commendable footballing careers without hitting the heights of top-flight football.

The other issue the hierarchy stated in justifying phasing out youth development from Under 16 level was the threat of these youngsters being poached by neighbouring, more glamorous Academies for meagre compensation fees.

All legitimate reasons, but when youngster Edmondson signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Elland Road from York, he did so via Huddersfield Town’s very own Academy.

The 16-year-old arrived at Bootham Crescent after being released by Town, spending the last two years at York’s Academy and becoming the third youngest ever player in their history when he went on as a substitute against Brackley last month.

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On signing for Leeds, Edmondson told York City’s official website the club had restored his self-confidence as a footballer.

“I have really enjoyed my time at York City and I am grateful for the opportunity the club has given me,” Edmondson said.

“When I first arrived, I was not that confident as a player because I had been knocked back by Huddersfield.

“But the coaching staff here picked me up and gave me the confidence to play my game as I do now.”

Edmondson’s situation is not an unusual one and certainly not confined to Huddersfield Town, with many youngsters falling through the cracks at all levels of youth football.

Town’s aim by moving to Category IV is to be able to capture any of those who may have gone by the wayside from 16-years-old and above.

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But as in Edmondson’s case, who will be there to pick up even younger players if they are let go or don’t appear to be making the grade at an early age?

This is where the second part of the deal which has seen Edmondson move from York City to Leeds comes in, with both clubs stating they are hoping to build a partnership at Academy level following the transfer.

The move is the second deal between the two clubs in recent weeks after Leeds United goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell joined City on a month’s loan earlier in the campaign.

The proposal means Leeds United potentially have a safety net through the link with York for any player they may have initially missed while simultaneously providing their own Academy players with a platform to gain much-needed first-team experience at non-league level.

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The lack of first-team opportunities is another fundamental issue in youth development, with many youngsters failing to fulfil their full potential due to a lack of competitive games.

There are, of course, youngsters who are always destined for greatness but for others, Jamie Vardy a case in point, they take more time to develop and a spell in non-league is often the perfect training ground to coax their talent.

It really does seem a case of killing two birds with one stone and, with Huddersfield Town’s recent category change, they could do a lot worse than look at nearby partner football sides in the lower echelons of the Football League pyramid to subsidize their own Academy.