Youth Development Officer Tony Daws gives an end of season review of the youth development programme

As another season draws to a close, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to the many people connected with the youth development programme.

The board of directors have been extremely proactive and supportive of all ventures and have worked with us to move the programme forward. Thanks go to all board members, but special thanks must go to Keith Wagstaff and Jamie Hammond who sit with me and Guy Parkin on the youth board. Keith and Jamie have attended most youth games this season and both have an excellent knowledge of the 16 to 18 year old players coming through our system. We are working hard to produce our own players and I can assure fans that we will certainly do so, given time.

I know for certain that the schoolboy and youth programme is continually developing and moving forward and that we are striving to produce players that will one day in the future, play in our first team.

We have many good youngsters coming through the system ranging from nine to 18 years old, but for the supporters and all concerned, we have to be patient. We have to wait for the calendar months to roll round until they are old enough, good enough and opportunities arise for them to appear at senior level. We are certain that our development programme matches up to the best and it is only a matter of time before the production line is up to full speed.

Next season, as a youth department we are hoping that most recent youth products Josh Lillis, Pete Winn and Joe Wilcox progress and hopefully challenge for a place in the starting line up at senior level. None of these young lads are yet the finished article and are still in their development stage until their early twenties.

At apprentice level, we have a good crop of first year players moving forward in to their second year and I am certain that we will see quite a few of these boys developing well enough to be offered professional contracts at the end of next season. Again, patience is the word when developing players; it is a slow, long term process. One of these boys, Jake Picton, has already had a taste of first team football when he was named as a substitute for the final two first-team matches.

We have improved our training facilities and can now offer a state of the art indoor 3g Astroturf pitch at Gunness, which is alongside the new grass pitches that the youth team use each day. This indoor centre is so important through the cold winter months where we can coach the schoolboy players in a dry, secure professional learning environment.

Next season will see big changes at schoolboy level as we find more time and hours to work with the youngsters.

At youth team level too, we have developed the programme and big changes are to be made as we also find more contact hours where the boys will be working to improve their technical, tactical, physical and mental football skills. This can only be good for the boys' long term football development.

Sincere thanks must also be sent to Commercial Manageress Michelle Harness. This season Michelle has spent a great deal of time and effort in developing links with local business people and companies who have pledged and given their support to the youth programme. Working with Michelle we have developed the 'youth patrons' link and we look forward to developing the links and working closely with the patrons next season. Any persons interested in getting involved as a youth patron are most welcome to contact Michelle or myself for more information.

Many thanks must go to Nick Dakin and his staff at John Leggott College for their support and flexibility in working closely with us to deliver a BTEC national qualification for the apprentice boys. This is the 'safety net' for the boys that unfortunately are not offered a pro-contract at the end of their apprenticeship. For next season, Nick and John Pyman have worked with us to change how the programme is delivered and adjust the amount of time spent at college so that the apprentices can have more time on the training ground learning their trade. With modern technology, the boys will spend slightly less time studying at college and more time studying on-line and still secure their qualifications.

Sincere thanks go to full time staff Guy Parkin for all of his tireless efforts in football and developing our sports science programme and to Daz Mouatt for his medical support and work with the apprentices' rehabilitation.

I would like to thank every one of the Centre Of Excellence coaching staff for their time, effort and undoubted commitment this season. We now have 11 UEFA 'B' Level 3 qualified coaches, with two of these starting their UEFA 'A' license this summer. Sincere thanks to all and I look forward to working with them all again next season.

Thanks also to Daz Waring, who has worked his socks off this season and been really proactive in the scouting and recruitment of young players to this football club. At times he has cleverly outgunned the 'big guns' in signing players. To Ray Swannack for all of his tireless support both on match days and throughout the week and also to Louise Whittaker and Dave Beeby for their ongoing help and support of the youth programme.

Thanks also to our talent scouts who are out and about at weekends looking to find young players to bring for trials at the football club. If there is anyone interested in getting involved with the club as a scout, please contact me as soon as possible.

Last but not least, I would like to thank every one of the apprentices for their efforts this season. If you look (frustratingly) at the league table, as most people do, results have not been great. However, this is called youth development; it is not just about winning. Of course we want to win, but winning games doesn't necessarily mean that you are producing players.

We encourage the players to pass the ball around and at times we have made mistakes resulting in goals being conceded. We have played well and lost a lot of games that with better finishing we should have won. This is part of youth development; we have to be able to see through the 'win at all costs' attitude that is prevalent in this country.

We can see that we have players coming through, players that are developing but this season as in every season, you are not going to get a full team that are good enough to make the necessary progress through to senior level.

The frustrating thing for me is when people ask about the youth and reserve team the first question is always 'how did the youth/reserve team go on /what was the score?' when really the first question should be 'how have the youth/reserve team played'? The second question should then be 'who played well/who is developing well?' the last question should be 'what was the score'? Until we get the questions in this order, I feel that England will never again win the World Cup. We have to get the national philosophy right at grass roots and youth level.

Finally, to all of the supporters I wish you good health and an enjoyable summer break as we look forward to next season, which will hopefully see the first team challenging at the top of the table.

Up the Iron

Tony Daws
Youth Development Officer