As rain poured down on the players and fans at Jackson Academy's football field, the Manchester Academy Mavericks stuck to their normal routine. They ran the ball relentlessly. They scored regularly.

Seven-year-old boys wearing American football shoulder pads laugh as they run into inflatable obstacles and try to pass adults holding huge tackle-bags on the artificial turf. There’s music playing, ...

Manchester United have one of the most prominent and successful academies in England, but as we know not all of that success is measured by how many players break through from the academy into the ...