No Under 18 Team, Will It Help?

Im playing as St Albans in the BSP and we are really strapped for cash, we have been since I started, my question is when the new season roles around and im given the option of entering an under 18 side in competition, if I choose No will that release all my under 18 players and free up some cash or will the under 18's still be at the club just not playing competition foorball? I have always entered the reserves and U18 side in competition so I dont know what the advantage of saying no is. Can you give me an insight into this?

Im going to assume that if the players remain at the club without playing competition then that will effect their development as players.

They'll still be at the club, they just won't have any games.

Thats what I thought, would it slow down their development though?

Yes it will.

Thanks mate, thats what I wanted to know, I might just have to sack them all if I want to save money ha ha ha!!!!!

Is there any benefit then to declining the invitaiton to join the reserve or u-18 leagues?

I've always wondered, why is there even a no option?

Yeah, im not sure why the No option is available, thats why I thought maybe it was purely a financial thing.

Maybe it should go the other way - the board prevent your team entering the U18 and Reserves if you are strapped for cash?

Only an idiot manager would opt out of having competitive football for his reserve and youth teams, I can't imagine any real life manager would make such a stupid decision *cough* Glenn *cough* Roeder *cough*

Thats why we dont know why they give you the option.

Thanks mate, thats what I wanted to know, I might just have to sack them all if I want to save money ha ha ha!!!!!

I half expect you are joking, but I wouldn't do that if I were you.

I once started a game with a lowly Swedish side and was incredibly strapped for cash. I decided to rid the team of a lot of crappy youth players. It was either just the release fees or some sort of lowering of a youth football grant, but my financial situation was decidedly worse afterwards.

I think Billy Davies at Forest pulled their reserves from the reserve league. His reasoning was that it wasn't competitive or strong enough and therefore was a bit of a waste of time. I think Forest now arrange friendlies instead.

Personally I can't understand how a friendly could be competitive. However, if the teams you're playing are poor, then what's the point? I suppose with friendlies you can choose to play a strong reserve side whenever you want.

It will positively affect your finances, I once just removed my U18 team and made them my reserve team (which was non-exsistant unless i am nursing back players), saved me about 50K in a season.

I can't think of any good reason why anyone would opt not to have U18 & reserve teams. Players on youth contracts are paid for by a youth grant. They are basically free players. Players on f/t contracts also don't receive bonuses for playing non-competitive games. You also gain money from youth and reserve games.

So does it save you money or lose you money.. Is there any way of telling?

IRL many lower league teams (BSP level down mainly) don't enter a reserve or youth league to save money, which is why some teams start without them. What I'd like to see is that when you take over a team in the first season you can choose straight away if you enter, rather than having no option first season.

If you enter the Youth or Reserve league, but don't have any players assigned to that squad, doesn't FM populate the team with "gray" players to fill in? Do these players have cost? Couldn't you have two or 3 "real" youths on a team that is otherwise "gray", meaning you don't have to have a full team's talent or pay a lot for youths, but could still compete in the league?

I am Gateshead in the BSN. You play so many games in the Non-League with so few players that there is just no point in having a reserve team. If you respect fitness and condition, all your players will play first team football through the season.

Maybe the no option is there for very small squads. You might just have enough players to cover injuries in the first team so can't really have them playing extra games.

I know you will get grey players but you have to get the option as a real life manager does too. IRL you wouldn't see a team saying, "we have a small team but don't worry, powers beyond belief will fill out team with made up players!"

I always withdraw my reserves, but my youth team is still important to me, so it stays.

I just don't see the need for a reserve team. If a player is too old for the U18's but not good enough for the 1st team, he goes - simple!

I just don't see the need for a reserve team. If a player is too old for the U18's but not good enough for the 1st team, he goes - simple!

Heard this before and I'm beginning to agree. If you're in your 20s you should at least be useful enough to me as a bench player. Or good enough that someone will loan you a season until a bench spot opens up.

The other thought I has was that if you have "reserve" players that get the green boot, you could always play your reserves in a one-off match versus your youth squad.