not really, no

in one you take the boy away from his family and in the other you take the family with the boy, and i don't think you can do the former anymore.

anyway, there's a summary of some of the rules for academies here

User Posted Link

"The academies are licensed on a five-year basis by the FA and, under Premier League rules, all coaches must hold Uefa level-three coaching licences or higher. The student/staff ratio must not be greater than 10 to one. There are three age groups, split between nine to 11-year-olds, 12 to 16-year-olds and those aged 17 and 18. The youngest age group are registered for one year at a time and must be able to travel to the academy within one hour. They receive a minimum of three hours' training each week.

The players in the 12-16 age group must live within 90 minutes of the academy and train for a minimum of five hours per week. The oldest group, who can sign professional contracts from the age of 17, work for 12 hours a week. The academies are also responsible for the education of their players.

Academies must have outdoor and indoor playing facilities and trained medical staff. A member can play only for his club and school and until the age of 16 will play a minimum of 24 and maximum of 30 matches a season.

The travelling time to academies has proved a thorny issue. For a gifted youngster living at the wrong end of the country the only solution is to move the entire family, a costly manoeuvre especially if the boy fails to make the grade."

Posted By: blindasabat, Apr 9, 11:13:16