Sending players out on loan: does sending them to a playable league make a big difference?

Hello,

I can't remember where but I remember reading once that you should always send players out on loan to a team that plays in a playable league. Apparently this is because the matches are processed in more detail and therefore a bigger difference is made between progressing through first team experience for a team in a playable league than progressing with first team experience for a non-playable.

I was wondering how much difference does it make? I currently have a player who is rated as 5 grey stars by my coaches and is obviously far from good enough to be in a title challenging side (he is only 16 though). His potential rating is 4 stars so he could potentially be a key player for my team. But I'm just wondering whether it would be better to train him here (I will have excellent youth facilities once the expansion is finished in 4 months) and play him in the League Cup and possibly the FA Cup (as well as under-18s of course) or to send him to a team in a lower division with decent enough training facilities but not in a playable leage? I only have the EPL, La Liga and The Championship (for my feeder team, Swansea) as playable right now as I value speed more than detail in my saves, and he wouldn't get into any Championship sides so it's really a choice between keeping him here where he will get barely any first team experience but good training, or sending him to a non-playable league with average training facilities but a lot of first team experience (but again, I'm not sure how much benefit would be gained, so basically the question is how much benefit is first team experience in non-playable leagues to a young player's development).

After writing all this I've just realised he is still only 16 so can't be put on loan, however he has provisionally agreed to sign a professional contract on 8/10/2018 (coincidentally the same date my youth facilities are upgraded!) which is only a few months away so the question still stands.

Can anyone help me?

Yes sending them to a playable team does help but it is all relative, if that teams standard of football falls below our U19s then he would be better off playing in your U19s, the teams training facilities also play a part.

Some believe it is important for the teams manage to have good attributes for Working With Youngsters and Man Management.

Okay, well my under 18s only have two players (both who are the ones I'm concerned about as I just signed a great 17 year old prospect) so my under 18s are pretty poor as I've never had any even half good players come through my own youth system. I'll probably send them on loan then but try to find a team with real players in it, and thanks for the working with youngsters tip, I'll check their coaches.

Okay, well my under 18s only have two players (both who are the ones I'm concerned about as I just signed a great 17 year old prospect) so my under 18s are pretty poor as I've never had any even half good players come through my own youth system. I'll probably send them on loan then but try to find a team with real players in it, and thanks for the working with youngsters tip, I'll check their coaches.

Not so much their coaches but the Manager because he picks the team, if the manager is not good with youngsters and has low man management, he will look towards older players to play and will struggle to keep his players happy.

A good read on this is by the late SFraser

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/262465-A-Guide-to-Developing-Youngsters

Obviously its just his opinion on what he feels it the thing to do.

It might have made a big difference on previous FM's but i don't think it does anymore, on FM11 i would loan players to non-playable leagues and they would still develop a lot, i don't think it changed for FM12 though i haven't loaned many players since it's being harder for me to actually loan players out.

i loaned out a 4 1/2 star potential to hartlepool, and he was in thier first team right away, i had him called up to first team anyway asi use the more promising ones in cup games