PFA’s Jonny Sutherland visited Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy and caught up with former Tottenham Hotspur scholar Jamie Butler and former Charlton Athletic scholar Brandon Hall.
The V9 Academy offers non-league players a showcase to perform and earn themselves a professional contract.
Jamie Butler
At White Hart Lane Butler played alongside Tom Carrol, Andros Townsend, Harry Kane and Ryan Mason, but unfortunately was released. However, he hasn’t given up on finding a route back into full-time league football and hopes the V9 Academy will give him the platform to progress.
What is your current situation?
“I’m currently at Hemel Hempstead FC but towards the end of the season I will be moving on. I’ve spoken to a few clubs but I’m yet to make a decision.”
How did you get in touch with the V9 Academy?
“I’ve been involved with England’s C team and Mick Payne put me in touch. David Coles, the goalkeeper coach, then came to watch me.”
Where do you aspire to be after the V9 Academy?
“I’d love to be back in full-time football. It’s hard once you’re out of it to go back in; you’ve just got to carry on trying to do the right things and being professional. Obviously, I feel a lot sharper when I train full-time and every day, I want to be playing in the Football League.”
“If there’s 60 scouts here and 59 of them don’t like me, but there is one that does, that’s brilliant.”
How have you found the training so far?
“Barring the weather! It has been good. Colesy put on some really good sessions, and just feeling my way back into training again was great.”
How has the PFA helped you?
“The PFA have been brilliant. I had a bad knee injury, I ruptured my PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) in my left knee about three years ago. Being a member, I got in touch with Spurs, who put me in contact with Paul Allen. He was brilliant, he always got back to me quickly.”
“Straight away they got me up to Harley Street Hospital to see a doctor. Then after that, I went once or twice a week for physio. I also went up to St. Georges Park three times, which was spread out over the course of my injury. It was unbelievable, the treatment up there was brilliant!”
“Having the treatment and the help from the PFA, has got me back a lot quicker.”
Would you recommend others in a similar position to use the PFA?
“I can’t speak highly enough of what the PFA have done to help me with my injury.”
“Your initial fears when you have a serious injury are ‘how am I going to get back from this?”
“If you’ve got to work a normal job as well as do your rehab, it can be tough. Going through the PFA, they have done wonders, making sure that you have everything you need.”
“What I would say to anyone with an injury or a problem, is get in touch with the PFA as quickly as you can. They were so helpful. I was surprised how good they were.”
“I also spoke to someone at the PFA last year about education. They told me that they could help me with funding if I wanted to learn a trade or go to college, so it was really good.”
Brandon Hall
Following his release from the Addicks he spent 3 seasons at Ebbsfleet, before joining Woking in Summer 2016. With the PFA’s support, he has also obtained a degree in Business Management with Anglia Ruskin, based in Cambridge.
What’s your aspirations for during and after the V9 Academy?
“Obviously to get a professional contract with a full-time club.”
“Most of us here are training on a part-time basis, with either a job or a degree on the side. It would be fantastic to get into full-time football, and being at the amazing facilities here at the Ethiad is a bonus, and acts as an inspiration as to where you want to get to.”
How have you found it so far?
“It’s been brilliant.”
“Getting different coaches ideas and perspectives as to how they want you to play is always a challenge, but a good challenge. It’s good to adapt to the way they want you to play, which may have been different from the way you typically play in non-league football.”
“So it’s been enjoyable so far and I’m sure it will be as the week goes on.”
How have the PFA helped you?
“From my point of view the PFA have been brilliant.”
“I started a degree when I was 20 and spoke to them about funding. They have subsidised the fees so they have been extremely helpful.”
“The amount of money they can contribute to getting a degree is great and I don’t think enough people know about the services they offer.”
“I urge players to really get in touch, if you’re young or you’ve had a long career it’s a good opportunity whilst you’re playing football to get some kind of qualification.”
How did you get in touch with the PFA?
“Originally I got in touch when I was at Charlton. Joe Francis, who was head of education put me in contact with the PFA and year by year built up the relationship.”
Would you recommend the PFA to members?
“Definitely!”
“I did my dissertation on footballers and their transition at the end of their career, and I don’t think they realise how short it can be. At 22, you can get a bad injury or something could happen and you’re in a position where you need qualifications. Rather than start it then and waste three or four years of just studying, why not start it whilst you’re playing?”
“The PFA are there to support and fund your education, so I would definitely recommend it to every player.”
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