TALENTED footballers from primary schools in Surrey are set to have an opportunity to play for a new representative team which has been formed by a local coach.
Spence Ogilvie, who is the founder of Gatton Park Rangers, created the First Football Academy in 2007 and is in the process of unearthing local talent in Years Four and Five at school, and so far he's selected more than 15 players for a new squad.
But he's looking for a few more, and with a trip to Bolton Wanderers Football Club on the horizon for a tournament next year, Ogilvie is looking to hold trials to add to his talented roster and is hoping more schools will back him.
"The planning started last year," he said. "I was doing after-school clubs and there were some great footballers.
"In wanting to coach good quality players, I sounded out a few teachers to see what they thought, because I thought it would be a nice idea for kids to make friends in a different group with a different coach and football team.
"Schools like St Joseph's, Reigate St Mary's, Furzefield and St Aidan's are just a few of them to name who are keen to send boys down - I've probably got nine or ten schools on board now.
"I've got 17 boys so far, and to be honest, they're all a really good standard, but if I can get a few more schools interested and have a squad of up to 22 players, that would be very good."
Ogilvie, who is a police officer away from coaching, says he and other qualified coaches will be taking the training sessions every three weeks after the trials, which are set for January and February next year.
"We're going to be training at St Joseph's School because they've got a synthetic pitch," he said.
"The trials will be on Sunday, January 13, then Sunday, February 3, just prior to half-term where we will have a match programme in place against the Crystal Palace development centre side.
"It will be all games-based, with ideas taken from academies across Europe, because I'm not a fan of doing drills with young kids."
And Ogilvie, who is keen to stress his representative side will be separate from grassroots club football, says he would like to have school and club logos on the training kit he's had made.
"In American football they have an event where all the best players across the league play in a match, and they obviously play in one kit, but they wear their own helmet representing their club, but they're playing for one team against another division," he said.
"I want the players to wear something to do with their clubs or schools because then it represents where they've come from."
The trip to the Reebok Stadium is also something the squad can look forward to, while there's an opportunity to go to Barcelona in 2014.
"We're going up to Bolton for their Super Cup competition, with teams all over Europe coming over," added Ogilvie. "They're doing a weekend of mini-soccer on May 30 and 31 next year at the club's academy ground then the finals are held at the Reebok Stadium. We've also got the chance to go to a tournament in Barcelona the following year, but we'll do Bolton first as a test to see how it goes."
To register your interest email FirstFootballAcademy@gmail.com, stating your name, school and age.
