Best way to improve youth players?

[Majick]

I've taken Stevenage into the English PL and established them there as of season 7. A board objective has always been to develop young players, which I have no problems with - I had youth team players in the team/squad right the way up to the end of last season, admittedly without giving them much playing time last season.

As of this year, though, our entire team is purchased. We couldn't improve our facilities as we moved up the league (Stevenage, in fairness, were in the red every season until we hit the PL) and I'm now feeling the pinch.

The board are grumbling about the lack of youth product in the team. Our 25 man squad is cut to 21 or 22 for European games (making it harder for those unregistered to get a run in the team) and, frankly, I want young players coming through. I suspect it's no coincidence that in our first season without homegrown players we're struggling to break out of mid-table, having finished 4th last year.

As things stand, we have:

- Average youth facilities

- Youth level 3

- Shared youth stadium/training ground which I believe means the young players benefit from the first team coaches

- Adequate junior coaching

- Fairly basic youth recruitment

Some of those have been improved at my request (2 x improve youth facilities definitely, 1 x improve recruitment as well, I think) but my latest crop of youth players who got promoted to the u18 team all have a uniform 1/2 gold star potential.

So, where should I be focusing the club's money? What requests should I be making to the board? They've recently turned down a request that they divert transfer funds into something youth related (might have been recruitment, I didn't make a note of exactly what), so I don't know if any future requests will be met favourably.

[Torminator]

Youth recruitment influences the heigth of the PA ranges that regens at your club get.

[Kenco]

You could request that they reconsider that particular philosophy if it's such a problem.

[herne79]

Now you are in the PL your finances should start to improve, so just request facility upgrades as soon as get the option from your Board.

In the mean time, you could always target high potential youngsters at other clubs for transfer and develop them, which would still satisfy your Board.

[Majick]

What counts as a 'young player'? I have six player 24 and under, two who were 20/21 at season start. I'm assuming none of them count as young players for the purposes of the philosophy.

I'd like to keep the philosophy in place, as I want to develop the players... but with the cost of bringing in 'established' young players they pretty much have to come from within unless I get lucky with releases from United, Arsenal etc.