The Youth FC has had a very successful Academy for its Funfours since it’s inception. This has left us with a problem when the teams move to 7 a side football as we have had too many players for one squad and not enough for two. The rules laid down by the associations restrict the numbers of players each team may have so we needed to be smarter in how we managed the transition.
To solve the issue we have now created a new section at the club – Academy Plus
The role of this section will be to provide a continued opportunity for players not selected to sign for main squad when they transition at 7 a side. The club recognises that team managers are taking a snapshot of their squad at 8 year old and needing to select 18 that are the most ready to be their 7 a side team. We understand that players develop at different speeds and that they should be given the opportunity to continue to develop at the club, that they should be encouraged to play at a more relaxed level and given the opportunity to play with the 7 a side squad on Sundays.
The club will work with Angusalive to look for opportunities for them to play games as part of festivals.
Teams will now sign 18 players leaving two places for players from the Academy Plus to play as trialists. Coaches from the 7 a side teams will continue to coach these players and ensure that these late developers are supported.
We are delighted to announce that we have recruited Ian Fleming to manage this section. Ian played for Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Sheffield Wednesday and Dundee and was then player-manager of Brechin City. He was also Assistant Manager at Forfar Athletic & Manager at Icelandic side, Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar.
Welcome to the club Ian