Damien Allen updates us on the February Activity at the Academy:
We have now entered the final ten weeks of this current season. It promises to be an entertaining couple of months too, with our first team currently sitting top of the National League and looking to secure promotion to League Two. Everyone in the academy is watching with interest, and willing on the first team staff and players, as this promotion would enable us to apply for a category status for the 2022/23 season. A Lot of time and effort has been spent preparing for this possibility. However, whatever the outcome may be, we still intend to continue to make improvements to the academy for all our players and staff. We are fortunate that everyone involved at the club shares the same ambition and drive to keep improving the experiences, opportunities, and expertise for all our players.
We have our own title push going on in the U19s H Division League. Our first years are, at the time of writing, sitting top of this league, and I’d like to wish all the players in this squad, and manager Michael Raynes, the best of luck in their remaining fixtures. We have continued to see many of our academy players gain valuable experience training with County’s first team and Stockport Town’s first team. The player pathway is enabling our players to access lots of game time, and a mixture of youth and men’s football; something that our new signings for next season will be hoping they can experience.
Finally, we will be speaking with all our second-year players at the beginning of April regarding the plans for them after the season’s end. The second-year players have already attended presentations intended to exhibit potential exit pathways such as USA scholarships, Spain scholarships, University degree courses, and employment opportunities. We have prepared excellent individual player care packs that include education exit pathways, football exit pathways, how to build a CV, and employment opportunities. It’s very important that our second years continue to make the most of their time left so they reach their potential on the pitch and in the classroom. This will give them the best chance of successfully taking their next steps.
Damien Allen
Academy Manager
Stockport County Academy
