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When Jordon Ibe walked out at Anfield to face Queens Park Rangers on the final day, it completed a season to cherish for Liverpool’s Academy.

There were no additions to the Kirkby trophy cabinet in 2012/13 but the staff celebrated something much more satisfying.

Remarkably, Ibe became the seventh Academy youngster to make his first team debut over the course of the campaign.

The highly-rated 17-year-old winger followed in the footsteps of Suso, Andre Wisdom, Adam Morgan, Samed Yesil, Jerome Sinclair and Conor Coady.

It was also the season when teenager Raheem Sterling established himself as a regular in Brendan Rodgers’ side – clocking up 36 appearances before being sidelined by injury.

The club’s conveyor belt of talent is rolling and links between Melwood and Kirkby have never been stronger.

Academy director Frank McParland says Rodgers’ willingness to put his faith in youth has inspired both players and coaches alike.

“To get seven debuts in one season is great and we’ve had a successful year,” McParland said.

“Every time one of the lads breaks through it lifts everyone’s spirits at the Academy.

“To play one or two games is a great buzz for the boy and his parents, but what we are desperate for is to get players into the first team who are going to stay there. No-one is a complete success for us as an Academy until he has played 100 first-team games.

“The main thing for all the young lads is that they can see a pathway through to Melwood. You can have the best Academy in the world but if the manager doesn’t play your players it’s not worth having.

“We have a fantastic relationship with Brendan and his staff. Brendan is often down at the Academy, and so are Mike Marsh, Colin Pascoe and John Achterberg.

“Brendan is passionate about youth development. He has done every job at youth level and always wants to know how the kids are progressing.

“Some managers go away during the international breaks but Brendan will ring up and say ‘send the under-15s down today’ and they will go and train with the first-team players.

“The fact there is one style of play running throughout the club helps. The Academy has got stronger thanks to the work of the coaches and scouts bringing in better players to raise the standard so technically when players go to Melwood they can hold their own.

“We are on two sites but we are one club.”

The Academy costs Liverpool between £6million and £7million per year to run but managing director Ian Ayre has no doubt that it’s worth every penny.

Nurturing young talent is central to owners Fenway Sports Group’s plans to help restore the club to its former glory.

“It’s a big investment but it’s money well spent,” Ayre said.

“Both John Henry and Tom Werner have been to the Academy and they see it as a pipeline to success.

“You can really put a price on it. How do you put a price on the contribution we’ve had over the years from Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher?

“The owners are hugely supportive and see great value in the work that’s done at the Academy

“When Brendan came in last year we made significant changes to the way we play football and run the club. One of the things on his CV was that he understood the operation at the Academy, embraces youth and sees the value of bringing players through.

“To have seven debuts in one season says it all and hopefully it’s the start of something special.

“For many years the club invested that money and didn’t see the benefits of it.

“We are blessed with the talent we’ve got coming through now and that’s testament to Frank and his team. The challenge is to keep it going.

“It’s a constant process and you have to keep feeding it from the bottom. Some of the work Frank and his team are doing today with the younger age groups we won’t see the value of for another 10 years.”

With Jamie Carragher’s retirement, Liverpool have lost half of the home-grown backbone of the side.

These days the Academy boasts teenagers from across the globe but Ayre believes there still needs to be a strong emphasis placed on developing local talent.

“Jamie epitomises what we’re trying to achieve at the Academy,” Ayre said. “He came all the way through the system from the age of nine and was a wonderful servant to the club.

“Jamie and Steven are the two best examples of what Frank turns up for work for every day.

“We’ve seen the likes of Martin Kelly, Jon Flanagan and Jack Robinson come through in recent years and we want other local lads to carry that on.

“I’ve been watching Liverpool since about 1965 and I can’t remember a Liverpool team which didn’t have a Scouser in it.

“I hope that never happens. They have to be good enough but hopefully there will always be local players in there.”

McParland won’t name names for fear of piling pressure on young shoulders but is confident Ayre won’t be disappointed.

“We have some really talented young Scouse lads who I believe will come through into the first team over the next few years,” he said.

“There are two or three local boys who have a very good chance. We’re probably two or three years away from seeing the real value of that. It’s our job to find the next Carra.”

Off the pitch, McParland and his staff have the difficult task of trying to ensure that youngsters on the verge of the big time keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Regular trips to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and homeless shelters form part of the Academy’s afternoon activities.

“Once they think they are a player, they usually aren’t a player,” McParland said.

“We do things to make them realise how lucky they are and to keep them grounded. We don’t want them thinking they are superstars.

“Even at the age of six and seven, we instil in them the values of the club and how to behave. We want them to be good kids as well as good footballers. It’s about keeping them focused on the right way to do things.”

The riches of modern football can dampen that burning desire and hunger to succeed but Liverpool have attempted to combat that by offering performance-related contracts.

“Brendan has been pretty vocal in that regard,” Ayre added.

“He wants players to feel like they always need to achieve and deliver more.

“At a young age money brings all sorts of distractions. You can get too much, too soon. The years from 16 to 20 is the period when it can all go wrong on and off the pitch.

“We don’t have a problem paying them what they deserve to be paid but they have to earn it. We reward players who deliver on the pitch. Most agents understand that. We say ‘this isn’t the big deal, this is the deal that gets you to the big deal if you deliver’.”

* Ian Ayre and Frank McParland were talking at the Standard Chartered Trophy 2013. The annual tournament runs in 12 of the bank’s key markets. The winning team from each was flown to Liverpool to play at Anfield.

Duty of care felt to all LFC youngsters

Seven youngsters from Liverpool’s Academy may have broken through into the first team this season but for many others the dream is over.

Those who don’t make the grade aren’t simply shown the door.

The Reds’ commitment to their duty of care was underlined by the recent response of keeper Jamie Stephens to being released.

The 19-year-old tweeted: “Sad to announce I’ll be leaving LFC after three great years at the club. Amazing memories.

“Thank you for all the support from the staff and players.

“Brilliant club that I have had the privilege to have been a part of.”

Throughout their time in Kirkby the youngsters work closely with the club’s head of education and welfare Phil Roscoe.

Academy director Frank McParland said: “Everyone who signs for Liverpool leaves Liverpool, it just happens at different times.

“Jamie was an unbelievable kid we had here for three years. He worked really hard and progressed but not to the level we think we need to give him a new contract. But he tweeted to say thank-you and I think that says a lot about how we try to help players in this situation.

"Those not given new contracts know months in advance and we work with them to help them sort out what they’re going to go next.

“Some we help find other clubs in England, other get scholarships in America. All of them get an education during their time with us.”