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Whitletts Victoria To Create Youth Development Programme


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Ambitious Whitletts Victoria are to establish a youth set up that will create a player pathway for youngsters that could see them end up playing in the junior game.

And the Dam Park club are currently on the look out for a Head of Youth Development to oversee the establishment of the new programme.

Vics Chairman John Dalton explained that the Club are also looking to break new ground with the creation of an Under 21 side.

“At present there is only one under 21 side in Ayrshire, at Bonnyton in Kilmarnock, which means that talented local youngsters have nowhere to go once they reach the end of their under 19 career” said John.

“That means that there are many talented youngsters are lost to the game and what we are seeking to achieve is the establishment of a youth set up that will encourage youngsters to continue to play the game at an appropriate level, whether that be at a competitive level or for recreation.”

“Our player pathway will encourage our young players to play at the highest possible level. Encouraging players to join a pro-youth set up with a senior side should that opportunity arise to reach their maximum potential while creating a pathway that could see players play for Whitletts Victoria itself.”

“We are also looking at the possibility of establishing an amateur side in future, as well as maybe some other recreational sides, that will give youngsters the chance to play the game after they can no longer continue to play the youth game.”

“An under 21 side will be key to that development. At present there are many talented youngsters who give up the game at the age of 19. Players who maybe don’t have the physical development to play the junior game but by the time their physical development is complete, it may be too late for them.”

“An under 21 side will bridge that gap and give our talented young players every opportunity to make the grade, while having the possibility of being called up to the clubs’ first team.”

John Dalton also explained what the Club are looking for from a new Head Coach.

“Ideally candidates will have a C Coaching License but we will consider applicants who are keen to develop their own coaching qualifications. We would also like someone who has a knowledge of junior football as well as the youth game but that is not essential”

“The Head of Youth Development will work closely with our manager, Rikki Ryland, and will be responsible for overseeing the development of our youth system as well as managing our under 21 side.”

Anyone interested can e-mail their CV to john.dalton@whitlettsvictoria.com or phone John on 07759637350

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At present there is only one under 21 side in Ayrshire, at Bonnyton in Kilmarnock...

That phrase jumped off the page at me, but it is correct. There are 50 teams in the West Region Under 21 League set-up split into 4 divisions, but only Bonnyton from Ayrshire. The rest are Glasgow, Renfrewshire, Dunbartonshire and Lanarkshire.

Good luck to Whitletts with this, we set up an under 21 team five years ago and it has proved hugely beneficial for us.

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yep - well done Whitletts ... best of luck with it

Best of luck whittlets, it is a significant task but will pay dividends no end, especially under 21 level which gives youngsters that extra 3 year to mature as men, tactically and physically. There will be a long road ahead to get to the premier level of the under 21 which is a cracking level but if whitletts stick to their guns and get the correct people on board I'm sure it will pay off.

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Ayrshire has been crying out for another under 21 team for years. If your not good enough for Bonnyton then lot of potentially good Ayrshire Junior players sack it or end up Saturday amateurs. A lot of the top Ayrshire Junior players have played for Bonnyton.

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  • 1 month later...

I understand that Vics will not have U21's squad for this season but will have U17's & 19's teams

Aye thats correct mate. Think they just didnt have enough time to get the 21s ready. Id imagine the 19s will make the step up at the end of this season
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Aye thats correct mate. Think they just didnt have enough time to get the 21s ready. Id imagine the 19s will make the step up at the end of this season

It's a shame Terry Tibbs as there are a few good 1995's & 96's out there that could have represented Vics 21's well, problem also is that you will probably need a couple of 96's to strengthen U21's next season as will be a big step up for 1997's I think

All the best anyway as this is what Ayr & District need

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Billy ur bang on , heard there were a number of 95s and 96s willing to go to Whitletts 21s this year . No sure whats happened there , but knowing some of the local teams and players involved from Troon who swept the board at 19s and also Glenburn who both were coached well and were top 3 all season as well there was no reason why a 21s couldnt have been created .

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  • 3 months later...

Enjoying reading the posts on the pro youth thread there as I have 2 young sons playing so found opinions interesting. Anybody know how these youth set ups by whitletts are doing this year and any boys with potential to step up to the junior team

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Enjoying reading the posts on the pro youth thread there as I have 2 young sons playing so found opinions interesting. Anybody know how these youth set ups by whitletts are doing this year and any boys with potential to step up to the junior team

Got a 17s and a 19s at the moment, with more clubs coming in next summer. Think the plan is for the 19s to move up to 21s next summer, the club just didn't have the time to get the 21s up and running for this season. 19s reached the 4th round of the Scottish last week, and doing ok in the league. Had a few boys from the 19s in our squad already this season, and also gave them some game time in preseason and the Ardagh!

It'll take time to get teams at all age groups, but we should be well on the way for the start of season!

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It's good to see teams creating these pathways for their players. Glencairn have teams at u10, u11, u13, u15, u16, u17 and u21 as well as the first team. This is our first season with the youth academy, so it'll be a while before we see the fruits in terms of player development, but we'll stick with it. We've already seen the benefit of players stepping up from the u21s in the past five years, so this is just extending the system to all ages.

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