Adopting a rights lens to children’s training in football academies

Sporting issues are increasingly the subject of legal intervention in the UK and elsewhere, but the effect of commercial pressures on young football players remains largely unaddressed. Underpinned by an empirical assessment of the English Premier League’s self-regulation on youth development matters, this article argues in favour of the need to adopt a rights-based approach to children’s involvement with football academies. Based on data gathered through almost 80 semi-structured interviews across England, the analysis concentrates on stakeholders’ awareness of children’s rights and how they influence football academies. The article concludes with policy recommendations to ameliorate the issues identified.