It’s been a busy start to the academy season on the pitch, and this has been mirrored with work taking place off the pitch, writes John Rhodes. 

Back in April, we were informed that the FAW were going to categorise academies in Wales from the 2023/24 season, using three categories, A, B and C. To achieve this, each club will have to satisfy set criteria to gain classification, very similar to the EPPP process which takes place in England.

In May, we made it clear to the FAW that we intended to apply for Category A, of which there are 142 pieces of criteria to achieve and supported by lots of documentation. We duly submitted our application and received feedback over the Summer.

We were delighted that were able to secure our operating license for this season, but we now have an action plan to complete by May 2023 when we get a final decision. We are confident that we will achieve our objective, leading to increased funding for our academy allowing us to offer more opportunities to young players.

We have restructured our academy, giving us the best possible chance to achieve Category A status. Chris Seargeant remains as Head of Academy, combining this role with that of first team Assistant Head Coach. This is a pivotal role at the club, as it gives us a link between the first team and academy.

Additionally, for our young professionals, it means that the transition into the first team squad is seamless and not as daunting with Sarge as that link person. Sarge also organises for our young professionals to go out and gain loan experience in senior Football.

Currently, we have six first-year professionals out on loan to clubs in the JD Cymru North, and two second-year professionals in Beau Cornish and Louis Bradford on loan to Airbus and Aberystwyth respectively. Sarge sets the standards and expectations that all academy staff and players need to aspire to. It does mean that Sarge is a very busy man combining both roles and I often wonder if there are enough hours in the day for him.

We have heads of phases who oversee the different age groups within our academy. As part of the restructure, we have given these guys more autonomy to make decisions for their phase and manage them entirely. It brings about huge responsibility, but also an opportunity to develop different skill sets. This allows for individual growth and development from which the club benefits.

Simon Smith manages our Performance Development Phase from Under 17-Under 21. Simon runs our highly successful scholarship programme in partnership with North Shropshire College. On average, we will get between 30 and 40 players a year, with the hope that we can offer young players professional contracts at 18. This has proven to be very successful in my time at the Football Club, with at least 15 players gaining contracts over the past four years.

Simon runs the Under 19s team in the academy and also looks after our Under 21 team. We have changed this from what was the Reserves, although the team still plays in that league.

We are committed to having a player pathway at the club from U7 all the way to the first team. Simon is ably assisted by Simon Spender, Connor Roberts, and Greg Draper. These names will be very familiar to you and our young players are extremely fortunate to receive not just the high level of coaching but the vast experiences that all of them bring from the professional game.

If you are a school leaver this year (Year 11) and want to know more about the scholarship course, then please get in touch with Simon at simon.smith@tnsfc.co.uk.

Kieran Lee-Birch oversees our Youth Development Phase from Under 12 – Under 16. Kieran is not only a very good coach, but an excellent organiser. He additionally undertakes the roles of fixtures coordinator, plus ensures that all age groups have the correct allocated time and pitch space for training.

These tasks take a huge amount of time and planning. It is also Kieran’s responsibility to develop players that can go onto the scholarship programme and to an extent help bridge the gap to the first team. Kieran has a very strong team of part-time coaches around him to deliver to the different age groups.

However, we are always on the lookout for new coaches. All coaches must have the UEFA C Licence as a minimum requirement. If this is something that is of interest, then you can contact Kieran at kieran.lee-birch@tnsfc.co.uk.

Ash Russell looks after our Foundation Phase from Under 7 – Under 11. This is a critical role within our academy as it is a youngster’s first introduction to academy Football and where a lot of the work required to start on the player pathway takes place.

Ash is really good at encouraging and developing these young players, whilst also providing lots of opportunities to showcase their abilities. It is also very useful that he is a whizz on a computer, so a lot of academy presentations are put together by him. Ash, like Kieran, has a great team of part-time coaches around him, but he also has Hudson Parry that he can rely on.

Hudson joined us in the Summer from Cefn Druids and is somebody we see a lot of potential in. We believe that with us, he is in the best place to develop into a top-quality coach. Our Foundation phase are always looking at opportunities to play games against excellent grassroots teams. If you would like to explore this, then contact Ash at ash.russell@tnsfc.co.uk.

My role as Football Operations Manager, in a nutshell, is to look after some of the off-field areas to ensure that coaches can look after players on it. So, I have responsibility throughout the whole club for Education, plus safeguarding and welfare. I am still part of the first-team recruitment team looking at potential players that can join us.

From an academy perspective, it is my role to ensure that we are audit compliant and ready for categorisation. This means that I support staff with that process whilst evaluating our operational procedures and putting into place systems to make us more effective off the pitch. I am currently working on our support staff structures and attempting to develop our medical, analysis plus strength, and conditioning departments. It certainly means that not every day is the same.

Lead image: The New Saints Under-16s face AFA Academy of Australia at Park Hall (Andrew Donnison)