Local non-League first for AFC Mansfield with academy launch

The Bulls already have junior sides at all levels, but with SCL coming on board as education partners, they can now offer a full two-year academy course with youngsters aged 16-18 able to be coached in football every morning and receive an education in the afternoon.

AFC Chairman Andy Saunders said: “Rudy Funk will be the coach, assisted by someone we are still to identify.

“Rudy is retired which is the beauty about it. He’s looking forward to it. He worked at the academy at Eastwood when Paul Cox was there. So he has a good knowledge of it.”

Saunders said the idea has been on the club’s backburner.

“We considered doing this before but there is no point running before you can walk, so we waited and feel now is the right time to move it forward and offer something in the town for kids of that sort of age,” he said.

“We are the only non-League club in North Nottinghamshire that is offering this.

“It is for lads who don’t want to stay on at school, have an interest in football and perhaps want to try to get a bit of a career out of it with an extension of their education.

“This is an extension of our current youth set-up. We have teams from U8 to U16, so this is a progression from that into senior football. Along the way they get an education.”

Saunders added: “Hopefully in a year or so’s time we can get them into U21 football and, if they are good enough, a route into the first team. We will now have a proper pathway from junior football all the way to senior football.

“Obviously we will hold trials and they will have to be of a certain standard to be taken on. We won’t be taking them on if they’ve got two right feet!

“We needs lads who want to go on and play football, possibly at non-League level, or if they are good enough, at a professional level.”

Youngsters can sign up now for the trials. The first will be on Tuesday, May 30th (noon-2pm) and the second on Thursday, June 1st (noon-2pm).

Further trials will follow and successful candidates will begin their two-year course in the Autumn.

“It will start mid-September and run in line with the school year,” said Andy Saunders.

“We have two trials booked for the end of May and we anticipate having probably one but maybe two in June and at least a couple in July.

“We need 18 to run the scheme and we’ll take a maximum of 23/24 as you’ll naturally get drop-outs in the first year.

“It is a two-year course with football in the mornings and afternoons education.”