SKY BLUES’ youth academy bosses say the ‘Your City Needs You’ appeal could help pay for more much-needed scouts to search for the next generation of top-class footballers.
Academy boss Gregor Rioch said: “One of the areas we need to improve is the academy’s ability to scope wider than the immediate area.
“We’re currently not able to do that because of the lack of funds to have more spotters and scouts.”
Gregor said: “When I was coaching the under-18s at Manchester City, their budget was three times more than our budget and they brought in players from all over Europe. Coventry were the same when we were in the Premiership.
“Manchester City had been relegated but the fans started up a Supporters’ Trust, just as Coventry have, and through fund-raising it helped them compete and capture local talent.
“They’re now a Premiership club and the local talent is shining through. We want to emulate them.”
Gregor continued: “Although there is a cloud over the club with regard to debt, people in the club are positive.
“With fund-raising we could expand and be better, even in these troubled times.”
The current budget has to stretch to pay for the apprentices’ training allowances, accommodation and travel, plus the wages of the boss and his assistant, physios for each age group (a Football League requirement), education and welfare officers, recruitment officers, scouts and others.
Gregor continued: “It’s vitally important we saturate the local area but extend that to a 50-mile radius. At the moment, we have a full-time recruitment officer and volunteer scouts and some on minimal expenses. We can ask volunteers to go out at the weekends.
“But we need to fund more volunteers with expenses to watch local leagues at all levels from the ages of six, seven and eight.
“We need to bring in those local lads who are under our noses, rather than them going to other clubs,” said Gregor, who forged a professional playing career at clubs including Hull City, Shrewsbury, Macclesfield and Peterborough, before becoming a youth coach at Manchester City and manager at Danish side Koge FC.
He said the ‘Your City Needs You’ appeal could also help pay for academy youth teams to gain invaluable experience abroad.
He said: “We used to go to places like Singapore and Portugal, but I don’t know the last time our under-18s went away.
“There’s a debate about England and why teams don’t get away. When I was in Denmark teams aged 12 were going to play tournaments in places like Hong Kong, expenses paid.”
Gregor said your fund-raising and donations could also pay for part-time coaches in the evening.
He said: “Two weeks ago we played against another Midlands club and a player scored against us who had been here, but he was released. We’ve lost players to other clubs and it’s gone to tribunals.
“If we had more part-time coaches in the evening, those players won’t want to leave.”
The ‘Your City Needs You’ appeal could also help the academy develop links with schools and Sunday league youth team managers so that they approach the academy with more gifted youngsters, in the best interests of those youngsters.
‘Your City Needs You’ could also pay for more part-time physios, travel expenses, drivers and training allowances for apprentices, who have non-employment status.
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