"We're building Swedish youth. The sign adorning the main stand at Brommapojkarna is simple, authoritative and accurate. Beneath it, in the lashing rain, the men's side are training. But while their top-tier status is important, that is far from the primary focus. Twenty-four hours before the men's game, BP's 5,000-capacity Grimsta IP stadium hosted a celebration of the under-19s, who secured a first national title since 2008."
"The academy is the most important thing for the club, says David Eklund, BP's head of scouting for boys aged 13 to 17. Without it, we don't have money and we don't have jobs. We'd have a club but not at this level. For someone to play here for the first team is really good for us, and we're really proud of it. But we need to sell players sometimes we do that before they reach first-team level."
"Youth development is at the heart of the club and on Sunday the fruits of Vallingby, a suburb in west Stockholm, will be consumed 1,100 miles away in north London. Viktor Gyokeres, whom BP snared in his early teens, will recent hamstring injury permitting wear red, while Lucas Bergvall, a BP graduate whose younger brother plays for the youth team, will be in white. The injured Dejan Kulusevski was also at BP for a decade until he joined Atalanta at 16."
IF Brommapojkarna prioritizes youth development through its academy based in Vallingby, west Stockholm. Grimsta IP hosted the under-19 celebration after the team secured a national title, reflecting club focus beyond the men's top-tier side. The academy produced players including Viktor Gyokeres, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, with transfers to larger clubs providing essential revenue. David Eklund, head of scouting for boys 13–17, frames the academy as vital to the club's finances and competitive level, noting the need to sell players sometimes before first-team involvement. Scouting and early recruitment shape player pathways from local clubs to professional careers.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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