Bognor Regis Town FC launch new bid to find their future stars

Developing young players good enough to pull on a Rocks first team shirt is one of the goals of an exciting new initiative at Nyewood Lane.
By Carl Eldridge
Published 31st Mar 2022, 08:15 BST
Updated 31st Mar 2022, 13:21 BST
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Nye Camp committee member Russ Chandler has teamed up with Bognor assistant boss Jamie Howell and former Chelsea youth team skipper Danny Hollands to launch the Rocks Performance Pathway (RPP).

Plans were showcased at the fans’ forum as part of the Rocks ongoing strategic review led by Chandler.

Bognor beat Margate - match gallery.

Russ Chandler and Jamie HowellRuss Chandler and Jamie Howell
Russ Chandler and Jamie Howell
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Some have long held the view that, for whatever reason, local talent hasn’t been cultivated to provide a reasonable number of players to graduate to represent the club.

Technical lead Howell, head coach Hollands – currently playing in National League South with Eastleigh – and Chandler, head of performance, hope to be able to address that over time. And they have the full support of first team manager Robbie Blake.

Our skipper is one of league's bestr midfielders.

Chandler said: “We believe young players should be able to access a professional development programme whilst continuing their grassroots experience. In Jamie and Danny, we have two of the finest football coaches around and both have a keen eye for identifying young talent.

“By encompassing the latest protocols in sports science, sports psychology, nutritional and cognitive training, we aim to offer the best football development programme outside of the professional game and we are committed to helping young players achieve their goals and hope to provide talent a pathway to the Bognor Regis Town FC first team squad.”

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Howell, No2 to Blake and heavily involved with the club’s U18 set-up, said: “I’m delighted to be involved. It’s something we have talked about for a long time. I’ve had a football academy, as such, in the town for a long time and we get to a certain age and there wasn’t a pathway for the boys.

“Hopefully, in the future, we will have more players representing the first team that come from the local area and understand how we want to play at Bognor.”

The search starts when RPP stages U13 and U14 trials at Nyewood Lane on April 21.

Email [email protected], call 07545 481 938 or go to www.rocksperformance.com

Related topics:Robbie Blake