The latest Romanian football academy rankings reveal a notable development in the long-standing rivalry between Steaua and FCSB. Steaua’s academy secured the 9th position, edging ahead of their rival FCSB, which ranked 10th in the nationwide classification of 124 football academies. This marks a significant achievement for Steaua, especially considering that several other SuperLiga clubs have invested substantially and for longer periods in their youth systems.
George Ogăraru, a former player and current figure connected with Steaua, expressed his satisfaction on social media, emphasizing the pride in being ranked above clubs that have committed more resources to their academies. He highlighted that maintaining a top-10 position and surpassing competitors with larger investments is a meaningful indicator of Steaua’s youth development quality.
The academy leaderboard is topped by Farul Constanța, owned by legendary Romanian footballer Gică Hagi, boasting a leading score of 91.45 points. Following Farul are Csikszereda Miercurea Ciuc and ACS Academia de Fotbal Viitorul Cluj, with 89.90 and 88.76 points respectively. Among the top 10 academies, six belong to SuperLiga teams: Farul, Csikszereda, Universitatea Cluj, FC Argeș, Rapid, and FCSB.
The ranking methodology evaluates academies on seven crucial pillars contributing to youth football performance:
– 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 approach ensures that the academies are assessed not just on results but also on their overall organizational and developmental strength.
Importantly, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has introduced this academy classification as a new tie-break criterion in the Cupa României. If teams finish level on points in the competition, their academy ranking for the current season will be used as the penultimate criterion before a playoff match to determine who advances. This underlines the growing influence of youth development programs on Romanian football’s competitive structure.
Steaua’s rise above FCSB in academy rankings signals a potential shift in the youth development landscape, suggesting that Steaua’s academy could become a more prominent source of talent for the future, influencing both club performance and Romanian football’s broader talent pipeline.