We asked two young footballers, who had both had come through in QPR's youth development system to write about their experiences. In the new issue of Turnstile Blues (Issue 9 - out very soon), Jonny Brogden looks back at his time as a promising young player. Below 24-year-old Will Moore who was at QPR between the ages of 11 and 13 years tells us about his.

Signing on

I was initially told that I would have to endure a 6 week trial before the club made a decision on whether to sign me. However, after impressing in a first training session littered with comments such as “he’s red hot” and knowing that the club were in need of new players, I was smart enough to realise that I wouldn’t have to wait that long. Nevertheless, it was an utterly overwhelmingly feeling to be told after one week that I was on the books of Queens Park Rangers. I can genuinely (and rather embarrassingly, looking back on it) remember cartwheeling around the pitch once the news was broken to me after a training session.

All of a sudden the opportunity to fulfil the dream of becoming a professional footballer was right there in front of me and I genuinely believed I had the ability to go far. I loved football and was constantly playing. The club also gave me £1 which I’ve obviously kept, although looking back perhaps I should have held out for more before signing on the dotted line!
 

Greatest moment: Goal vs West Ham United

My greatest ever footballing moment was undeniably the absolute blinder I scored against West Ham (under 11s) in a pre-season six-a-side tournament. The junior Hammers had been tipped to easily brush past us, much like the 6 feet plus Arsenal ‘ten year olds’ we’d played in the previous game.

At 1-0 down to the Irons, I picked up the ball on the halfway line, drove forward and shrugged off two opposition players. I remember our right midfielder screaming for it, but I chose to ignore him as moments before he’d moaned at me for misplacing a pass. As the remaining defenders backed off, a bit of space opened up and from around 25 (probably 15) yards out I crashed a thunderous strike that swerved to the right of the diving keeper (he made it look great) and caressed the post, before it went rippling to the back of the net. It looked unreal. To this date I’ve never scored a better goal. It was an unbelievable strike and I was even more delighted as it was one of my first games for the club in front of a decent sized crowd. I’m sure to this day people still talk about ‘that goal’ (or maybe just me, and my Mum).
 

Pressures

Don’t get me wrong, I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity I had with QPR, which I deserved. I had some unforgettable memories with the club but around halfway through my two years there, it dawned on me that I was falling out of love with the game somewhat. It got to the point where I actually began to dislike attending training and playing matches, a peculiar fate for someone whose life revolved around football just a year before.
I recall becoming irritated with the expectation that we were to train alone outside of club training hours and being told that I should constantly strive to improve myself. It wasn’t that the coaches were putting their point across in an entirely negative manner, but the persistence with which we were reminded of it became draining and ultimately had a negative impact on me.
I was just a kid who loved football. Prior to joining Rangers I was never really told to practice, I just did it naturally by playing in the garden with my brothers and this is why I stood out from others. I was better and naively in my mind (like most kids) I was always going to make it. Perhaps this feeling shouldn’t have been taken away from me at the mere age of 11? But reality unfortunately was just around the corner. Quite simply I was no longer the best player on the team and was told what I was doing wasn’t enough.

One incident that particularly stands out was the head of QPR’s academy informing us that if we were lucky, perhaps one of us would make it. When views like this are expressed quite frequently it sticks with you and I personally didn’t handle it well enough. However, I bet the one kid in our group who did make it (Dean Parrett, now playing for Stevenage Borough in League Two) thought, ‘Yes, that one player is going to be me’, and fair play to him. I wish I had the mental ability to deal with the pressures and had the desire that he and other professionals must have had from the youngest of ages.

I felt there was too much pressure on all the lads and that this added pressure should have come at a later stage in the academy set up. I personally feel you’d get more out of youngsters if you let them enjoy their football first. I still wanted to be a kid, I didn’t want to be constantly practising on my footwork, running through a ladder for an hour every day to get that yard quicker. I’d much rather have played play station than kick a ball with my weaker foot against a wall until it got stronger than the other. When times got tough, I know I just didn’t quite have the requisite desire.

Resilience

You hear the stories of phenomenal pros like Frank Lampard, who already have talent in abundance but they become even better because of their relentless drive to improve. From what I’ve read, Lampard used to stay behind for hours after training doing sprints, just to get that yard quicker, a level of determination that was too much for me to comprehend. Raw ability plays a factor but in my opinion, the lads who make it to the top are the ones who’ve worked the hardest. I can’t stand it when people say things like, ‘Oh I was amazing and I could have made it, but I wanted to go out all the time with my mates, drink, smoke etc.’

Sacrifices need to be made in order to succeed. This was made clear to us from a very young age and I didn’t want to put myself through it. The idea that footballers are lucky because they’ve strolled into a dream life is offensive in my eyes. I’m sure they love what they’re doing and of course the lifestyle can be pretty rewarding, but as previously mentioned the physical and mental attributes are admirable. You have to be at peak fitness and maintain extreme levels of high intensity in order to succeed. The mental strength one needs to have in order to play is greater than what is perceived. I personally know some tremendously talented players who couldn’t cope playing in front of crowds; you just have no idea until it happens to you. I have the upmost respect for professionals for that reason. They deal with the colossal pressures and put on a spectacle week in week out for the demanding public. I don’t know if I could have ever coped with it myself, of course you like to think you can though!
 

Being released

After two seasons at QPR, I was closing in on my fourteenth birthday and was optimistic about the season ahead. I recall being so eager to get the new season underway, I even remember the scheduled opening fixture: Portsmouth FC at home. However, a week before the season was set to commence the QPR academy called an emergency meeting for all players and parents. For some reason or other my Dad attended alone, and when he came back he broke it to me that, due to financial difficulties, the club had to restrict the amount of youth teams on their books (yes, once upon a time QPR were struggling immensely financially). Only the strongest players in my age group were to be retained to play with the year above. I burst into tears. I was shocked and disappointed. I had begun to cope better with the pressure and was starting to enjoy playing football again; but deep down I know I was an average player in that team and that ultimately, I didn’t quite have what it takes.

It was particularly difficult to no longer be able to tell everyone that I was a QPR player, that’s when it really sunk in. I had been so proud to tell everyone and it was difficult to stomach the fact that I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer anymore. My Dad kept telling me we’d find another club but in all honesty I was just looking forward to playing with my mates again. I turned down the opportunity to be looked at by a few clubs. Again I don’t regret this because I’d experienced it and knew it wasn’t for me. All in all it was fantastic experience of which I hold very fond memories.

And did I mention my goal against West Ham?!

Many thanks to Will Moore for allowing us to publish this piece. If you have similar experiences as a youth player with any club, but particularly with ITFC, please send them to editor@turnstile-blues.co.uk.