Farul Constanța, the club owned by Gică Hagi, has secured the top spot in the Romanian football academies ranking with an impressive score of 91.45, according to the latest evaluation published by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF). Following closely are Csikszereda Miercurea Ciuc with 89.90 points and ACS Academia de Fotbal Viitorul Cluj with 88.76 points, confirming Farul’s dominance in youth development.
A notable surprise in the rankings is the position of FCSB, Romania’s reigning league champions. The club’s academy has fallen to 10th place with 84.18 points, trailing behind their local rivals Rapid (8th, 85.66) and CSA Steaua (9th, 84.91). This marks a significant decline from last year when FCSB’s academy was ranked 4th.
Within the top 10, only six academies are affiliated with teams currently competing in Romania’s SuperLiga: Farul, Csikszereda, Universitatea Cluj, FC Argeș, Rapid, and FCSB. Meanwhile, Dinamo’s main academy lags considerably behind at 27th place, highlighting challenges for one of Romania’s historically big clubs in nurturing young talent.
The rankings evaluate 124 academies nationwide, using seven key criteria that reflect essential aspects of youth football development:
– Strategy and philosophy (10.98%)
– Teams and players (12.20%)
– Technical staff (18.67%)
– Support staff (7.21%)
– Training and matches (8.92%)
– Infrastructure and facilities (21.51%)
– Results (20.50%)
This comprehensive assessment framework underscores the multifaceted approach required to build successful football academies, beyond just match results.
Importantly, starting this season, the academy rankings will play a role in the Romanian Cup (Cupa României) as a tiebreaker criterion if teams finish level on points in the group stages. This change elevates the significance of youth academy performance as a factor influencing senior team competition outcomes.
The clear leadership of Farul Constanța’s academy reflects the club’s strategic focus on youth development, bolstered by Gică Hagi’s vision, which continues to set a benchmark for Romanian football academies. Conversely, FCSB’s drop in the rankings could prompt a reassessment of their youth training policies to regain competitiveness in nurturing future talent.