[FM24] Kafra FC - Youth-only in England

[abulezz]

THE MANAGER

Kafra Jnoubi made a small fortune on some investments that paid off quick, and being obsessed with the game, the 20-year-old decided to buy a football club. A few months later, Kafra FC is born and competing in the League Two out in England, where the Ghanaian has made a new home.

 

THE CLUB

Born out of the concept of developing and never buying, the owner Kafra Jnoubi has a plan to set up academies across the world that will recruit, train, and – if they are good enough – get sent out to London for a chance at becoming a player for the first time. The club is situated in the western suburbs of the UK’s capital city, with very basic infrastructure and Youth Academy to build its foundation and its dreams on. Built on numerous local recruits and some talented international boys that currently live in the city, the squad has been finalized for the season (made up of 14 and 15-year-olds) and the Lions are ready to roll out.

 

THE TEAM

GOALKEERERS

Starting in the back at GK will be Ellis Parker, 15, who looks like a good overall talent with fantastic height (1.94m) and jumping ability. Born in Farsley near Leeds, the manager has already stated how important he will be to the team…….Backing up Parker will be Sam Hall, 14, who does not have the ability or potential of Parker but is still very young.

 

LEFT DEFENDERS:

At DL, Taron Bordman, 15, will look to use his impressive technique and ball ability to complement his decent speed. He is young and has a lot of strength to develop as he grows but he is known to be mature for his age and a hard worker…….He will compete with Bradford-born Keith Hewlett, 14, for the starting position, who is quick, has decent strength for his age, as well as having all the right foundational pieces in terms of defense. He has portrayed the right attitude and has displayed effective crossing ability.

 

CENTRAL DEFENDERS:

Marley Littlefair, 15, has great pace for the DC position and strong technique with the ball at his feet. He still has work to do with his defensive skills in general, but the Huddersfield-born defender has a good work rate…….Recruited from Ireland (born in Naas, not too far from Dublin), Thomas McGlynn, 15, he is a strong tackler, hard worker, and a decent passer. His physical strength needs work as does his general positioning instincts, but he has the versatility to play anywhere along the defensive line…….Right off the bat, Ryan Conway’s never give up attitude was evident. There was no challenge he shied away from, and despite his general lack of ability with the ball at his feet, he has proven to be a strong defender at the tender age of 15.

 

RIGHT DEFENDERS:

Welsh right-back Ceri Margetson, 15, has a great attitude and has stood out for his determined ways. His positioning is weak as he is caught off-guard more often than he would like, but he has good technique with the ball and impressive speed for his age…….Argentinean-born Jose Miguel, 15, has decent defensive ability and instincts and also has a good mentality with decent speed. It is not clear what his potential ceiling is but he will have to improve his dribbling ability to maximize it.

 

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Born in Bradford, Brook Moreman, 14, is a hot-tempered young midfielder who already has some fantastic passing abilities. His technique is also impressive and has proven to be strong defensively. He has a bit to do with his overall dribbling ability, but it is hard to imagine Moreman not playing an important role in the club’s first season but there is some worry about his temperament…….Liam Beatson, 14, has a great first touch on the ball along with good pace and has been seen as a fine team player. Born in Doncaster, the young midfielder will have to work on his dribbling ability pressing forward and his manager will look to improvement in his passing ability…….With the ability to play at DC as well, Stirling (Scotland) Ryan Coote, 14, has impressive technical ability, a professional attitude, and decent physical abilities. His versatility is an added bonus, but his dribbling ability once he starts moving with the ball is weak but his heart is strong.

 

RIGHT WINGERS

Born in a village southeast of the town of Sens in France to Ivorian parents, Abdul Meite has impressive dribbling ability and his fancy with the ball at his feet. The 14-year-old is not a great finisher of the ball and his focus needs work (there are also questions on about his drive to get better), but he has shown he is a good team-player…….A determined, temperamental George Hawkins, 14, has the ability to play down either wing as well as the striker position, and has the abilities to match. A good finisher, decent passer, and possessing good quickness, he looks to have the right tools to push for playing time.

 

LEFT WINGERS

Chris Taylor, 14, has no glaring weakness in his technical game, with his dribbling ability good for his young age as well as his crossing. That being said, his movement off the ball needs work and while he will get stronger and faster as he grows, he will definitely need to develop in both physical abilities, especially the latter…….Javier Majors, 15, will compete with Taylor for time down the left wing, with the English/Spanish winger possessing good speed to match his passing ability. His dribbling needs to get better, but he already has good technique with the ball and is a hard worker.

 

FORWARDS

With good pace, strong finishing, and good technique with the ball at his feet, Mark Burns, 14, is set to make a splash up front for the Lions. He also has decent passing ability but will have to work on getting stronger if is to make a consistent impact. Born in Leeds, he is lining up to be one of the main players of the squad this season…….Born in southwestern Northern Ireland, Shea Waide, 15, needs a lot of work on his physical strength but is already quick for his age. His finishing is not the best considering he is a forward, but he has good technique with the ball. He is likely to start the season as a back-up to Burns.

 

[abulezz]

AUGUST 2023

The young defense had its ups and downs during the preseason, but they started the real season ready to play, conceding in the fourth game after registering three clean sheets in their first three matches, including a Carabao Cup First Round 1-0 victory over Tranmere at home. The month ended with a couple of rough results, however, with the last game being against Championship side Sunderland and losing 4-2 at home in the Carabao Cup Second Round. As expected with a team of 14 and 15-year-old players, the inconsistency was evident very early in the season.

 

[abulezz]

That was quick! It looks like Kafra FC striker Mark Burns and our MC Brook Moreman have already started garnering attention from around the country. Meanwhile, Shea Waide is sure to play a big role in the Northern Ireland U21 side. 

[abulezz]

There were reports of eyes on some of the Kafra FC players, but no one expected international call-ups so soon. Shea Waide had a difficult first game for the Northern Ireland U21 side, but he came back big in his second, pretty much turning into a hero for a day. The Kafra FC Youth Academy reaping the results early in its existence. 

[abulezz]

SEPTEMBER 2023

September was a rough month for the Lions – they managed only one win in six games and ended the month with a disappointing 3-1 loss to Barrow. The team slipped down to 11^th Place in the League Two table, and by the end of the month, only GK Ellis Parker had an AR of above 7.00 – he had a 7.02 AR. Shea Waide, who did well for Northern Ireland’s U21 side in his second game with them, also scored 2 of his 3 Goals during the month as it was a busy September for him.

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by abulezz

[deez0r]

It's back \o/

[abulezz]

4 hours ago, deez0r said:

It's back \o/

I was going to start a save in FM23 and bring it over, but I decided against it and started fresh.

I find that delving into the Vanarama leagues tend to be a chore for me, so I figured just stick to starting in the League Two, that is where my fun starts.

Also, I would physically cover the CA and PA of every create-a-player so I literally have no idea what their potential might be, I just know that I put a limit of £250K value for each player that I did not exceed. They are all 14 and 15 year olds, as I wanted to grow with them throughout their career. I replaced Doncaster as they have a great stadium and good facilities. 

Thank you for reading and commenting! 

Edited October 23, 2023 by abulezz

[abulezz]

Shea Waide continues to shine for the Northern Irish U21 side. 

[abulezz]

OCTOBER 2023

The results for October were not impressive - two home losses and another disappointing showing in the EFL Trophy. Shea Waide (13 Apps, 6 Gls, 7.12 AR) has been the best player on the squad thus far in the season, also starring for the Northern Irish U21 team and playing quite well.

 

[abulezz]

November has not been kind thus far - First Round knockout from the FA Cup against League One side Exeter and the third loss in a row in the EFL Trophy. 

[abulezz]

This was Marley Littlefair's first international game, joining teammates Leam Beatson and Mark Burns on the England U18 side. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland U21 regular Shea Waide had a weak game against England. 

[abulezz]

More international debuts for the England U18 side with Keith Hewlett and Ryan Conway. For Shea Waide, it was a better - but still mediocre - performance as the Northern Irish U21 side drew against Hungary. 

[abulezz]

NOVEMBER 2023

It was not a great month for the Lions - one win in six games is not a good look. The good news is that the last three games were also not losses, so there is hope by manager Jnoubi that the team will be able to get rolling in December. 

 

With the club knocked out of all cup competitions in their first season, the focus shifted towards the League Two and maintaining the mid-table position going forward at minimum. 

[abulezz]

Early reports from the Kafra Youth Academy is suggesting we might have some decent attacking players that have started developing through the club's system. 

[abulezz]

DECEMBER 2023

A fairly decent end to the year - the Lions took a strong home win against Bradford but were disappointing against Morecambe. Their 3-1 away win against Mansfield in the final game of 2023 was a great sending off to the year.

Only two players have a +7.00 AR - Abdul Meite's 10 Assists are currently top of the league and Mark Burns has been the club's most consistent forward over the past couple of months. 

[abulezz]

JANUARY 2024

A single victory in five games is not a great start to the new year. Thankfully, the club has maintained its mid-table status but the home results have to get better.

 

Below are the big transfers from the January 2024 window - Yeremy Pino to Man City is a big one. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by abulezz

[abulezz]

FEBRUARY 2024

The team got the home results that was asked of them, but the 3-0 loss to 23rd Place (at the time) Grimsby Town was heavy. Injuries to both starting striker Mark Burns and starting right winger Abdul Meite ruled them out for about a month each, but Northern Ireland U21 regular Shea Waide picked up the scoring slack. 

 

[abulezz]

YOUTH INTAKE 2024

I was expecting worse considering the Youth Preview grades, but this was a pleasant surprise. There does not appear to be any stars, but all the 4.5/5 PA ones have the potential to be useful members of the first team.

 

The Congolese might be small but he seems to have heart and the right attitude. Good technique but his physical shortcomings will have to be compensated. 

 

Perhaps the most exciting player from the new crop coming in - at least in terms of initial reactions - Williams is already 1.88 meters at 15. His obvious strength is in the hair, but he also possesses decent technique with the ball. Still have to get faster, however.

 

Good passing ability, 1.87 meters height, and decent technique with the ball - those are the notables of Clayton. However, his strength needs a lot of work and for someone with good passing technique, his eye for the right pass is still lacking. 

 

Poku has the right attitude and has shown maturity, but he is neither quick nor strong - both requirements for the left-back position he plays. He will have to improve dramatically in both facets of his game. 

 

[abulezz]

MARCH 2024

A decent run of results to finish off the month, with George Hawkins being crowned the League Two Young Player of the Month for March the highlight. The winger started the season slow but since the beginning of 2024 he has shown tremendous potential, culminating in a fantastic run of form in March. In the League Two, MK Dons were crowned champions before April began. 

 

[abulezz]

Hi all - I wanted to share an update since I have stayed playing my save and just hit the year 2050. Here is our progress through the years, along with the most talented players to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy over the years.

 

Perhaps the most talented player we developed until 2050 was Joshua Maggs, who left the club and signed with Paris Saint-Germain, remaining at the club till today (January 2050) - he is now 35-years-old. This is Maggs in his prime below, along with his career till today.

 

The other players of note are Brandon Clayton, who spent his whole career at the club and was our captain throughout most of the 2020s and 2030s - Kemar Hylton, our first quality GK who was our rock at the back before being replaced and then moving on to Qatar - Mark Burns, Clayton's partner-in-crime as the club advanced through the leagues and finally became a Premier League club in the 2030s. 

 

Feel free to ask me anything about my team or the world at large - I have most the leagues loaded up as playable.