The university’s football development centre was launched in September 2004 to identify and develop talented young players who have the potential to become professional footballers.

Are you a young footballer, already playing competitive football with a desire to make it as a professional?

The University of Hertfordshire Football Development Centre are holding trials for players keen to enter our Football Development Centre at the start of the new academic year. The trials are for boys who will be entering primary school years 5 and 6 or secondary school years 7, 8 or 9 in September 2008.

Our Football Development Centre is looking for young players who possess a natural ability and enthusiasm for the game and with the obvious potential to develop their performance.

The Football Development Centre Trials are scheduled on the following dates:

For School Years 5 and 6
           
Date:               Wednesday 6th August 2008
Time:              4.00pm – 6.00pm
Venue:            Hertfordshire Sports Village – Outdoor Pitches
Trial cost:      Free of charge

For School Years 7, 8 and 9
           
Date:               Thursday 7th August 2008
Time:              4.00pm – 6.00pm
Venue:            Hertfordshire Sports Village – Outdoor Pitches
Trial cost:      Free of charge

Players who successfully complete the trials will be invited to take part in a series of weekly coaching and development sessions that include:

• Player development from our coaching staff with over 40 years experience;
• Developing tactical and team play within small sides games;
• A commitment to improving individual skills and techniques;
• Strength and conditioning advice to help develop players physically;
• Diet and Nutritional advise and best practice guidelines;
• 1 to 1 players assessments and parent meetings;
• A clear pathway to progress for those players, who consistently demonstrate a high level of performance;
• One off fixtures v professional club academies & representative junior club sides.

To register for the University of Hertfordshire Football Development Centre please e-mail b.n.clark@herts.ac.uk indicating clearly the following information:

- Trial day and date
- Name of child
- Address
- Date of birth
- School year from September 2008
- Current junior club and preferred playing position
- Contact e-mail address

You must Pre-Register to attend the Trial. If you have any questions regarding the programme please feel free to contact the numbers below:

Bryn Clark, Head of Sports Development:                  07949 111753
Laird Budge, Football Programme Co-ordinator:     07952 223064

Please note:
Players selected for the programme will continue to play with their local junior club and we aim to complement their progression. At no stage are we looking to 'cream off' the better players and run our own teams; instead we are interested in providing high quality coaching to support the club structure. With this in mind all the coaching staff are fully qualified and experienced FA coaches who are committed to providing a high quality programme in a safe and structured coaching environment.