Joining a football academy is very important, If you are planning to play football seriously. Now if you are a 19 years old playing football for first time, there are little chances that you will turn pro (unless you are THAT talented). In such a situation, investing huge amount of money to join a football academy is not advisable.
Moreover football academies in India nowadays do not accept players older than 17 years of age. joining a football club or academy is important because of the exposure it provides. For example if you play in AIFF recognised football academies in India ,you have a chance to play in the Hero Youth i-league.
The more you play in such leagues, more are the chances that you will be noticed by a football agent or scout. Now the major question is what is the right age to join a football academy. You should join a football academy as early as possible. Academies nowadays train even train six year olds. Now i don’t think that a six year old would be reading an article on what is the right age to join a football academy. It is never too late to start playing football seriously. Many players in India may not be able to afford to join a football academy due to its fees. In such a situation, look for football academies which provide scholarships. There are many successful players who started playing late. 16 years is never too old to join a academy or club. If you have that passion and put in the right amount of hard work, you will definitely succeed. Its always better late than never.