Echo News Blues bring back centre of excellence to find future stars for first team

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United have reintroduced their centre of excellence in a bid to find more stars of the future.

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[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

In action - Southend United's centre of excellence sides (Image: NICKY HAYES)


By Chris Phillips@cjphillips1982Chief sports reporter.

SOUTHEND United have reintroduced their centre of excellence in a bid to find more stars of the future.

The Shrimpers were forced to close their academy after failing to win promotion back to the Football League within two seasons of their relegation.

But steps have now been put in place to provide more young players with an opportunity to secure a future with Blues.

And Tom Bailey, who leads the centre of the excellence, has been encouraged by the early signs.

“It’s about building it back up from nothing to where it was,” explained Bailey.

“It’s about giving us a base if we were to get promoted again which is what we obviously want to happen for the first team. We’ve had really good numbers from the old system too.

“I’d say 85 per cent of the players who haven’t signed for other academies have come back in which is really promising.

“We put the dates out for the trial days just before the takeover was announced so the timing was perfect.

“The uptake was brilliant and it was like a trial day we’ve never had before.

“We had to split it over five days and there were lots of players coming through the door.”

The Shrimpers now have squads running from the under nine age-group all the way to the under 16s.

And all players receive weekly training sessions.

“At the moment the parents pay a fee every six weeks or so,” explained Bailey.

“They get one training session a week with us, one game a month and off the field support from our two partners Oisin Seager of Seager Coaching who provides a lot of support and advice and RicFit who provides one weekly ball-mastering session via his app. It still runs alongside grassroots teams so we can’t say right you’re training twice a week and we can’t play on a Sunday either. There’s a lot of navigating logistically but it’s about getting it back on its feet again.”

The younger age-groups hold their weekly training sessions at Goals in Southend while the older teams train on the 3G pitch at Deanes School.

And everything is being done to ensure standards are kept high.

“We were a Cat 3 club but clubs at that level keep on improving and it doesn’t stand still,” said Bailey.

“Once we do arrive back as Cat 3 you want to be able to be competing straight away.

“You don’t want to be filling up a space in the programme and you’re constantly having to chop and change.

“You want to be at an elite level straight away so this is really worthwhile and it’s an important step for us to have.”

Promotion back to the Football League will give the Shrimpers the funding they need to run a Cat 3 academy once again.

But the long-term aim is finding the next star for the future.

“There’s Oli Coker, Collin Andeng Ndi and Jack Bridge and we had two from the youth team last season signing pro deals,” said Bailey.

“Having academy players coming through is always important and there have been a few around the squad this year.

“The idea is for the centre of excellence to provide for our youth team and the youth team provide for the first team.”

 

[overseas shrimper]

We need to know when the ZX Sinclair super computer predicts we'll reach Cat 3 level again.

But on a serious note... excellent news and great to see us being proactive.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Well done again to COSU for getting this up and running again, mostly at their own expense.

 

[Harry Bullocks]

This can only be good news

 

[CaptainSmudger]

We are on our way back. Well done COSU very encouraging.COYB UTB

 

[Leeboy]

so that’s what the ginger bloke from the Thompson Twins is doing these days

 

[Tinks]

This is excellent news.
Would anyone know if this is being run by the club or the Community Trust?

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

The way I understand it, is it's the Community Trust not COSU or the club that are funding it.

 

[JD]

Well done again to COSU for getting this up and running again, mostly at their own expense.

I don’t think this club funded/organised. It’s run by the Community Trust.
Also parents pay.
It’s £12 a session…..

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

I don’t think this club funded/organised. It’s run by the Community Trust.
Also parents pay.
It’s £12 a session…..

Yes, that's why I said mostly. Also, Gary Lockett is the head off the Community Trust, and he's part of COSU.
Anyway, I've heard COSU have financially backed this to get it up and running again. I'm sure someone can ask at the next Q&As, to confirm from the horses mouth.

 

[loz]

Club seem to be quite heavily integrated into it - i play at Goals directly after some of the weekly sessions and have seen KM there on several occasions talking to the kids.

 

[Strykr]

Club seem to be quite heavily integrated into it - i play at Goals directly after some of the weekly sessions and have seen KM there on several occasions talking to the kids.

Was he telling them not to shoot?

 

[stewart]

Was he telling them not to shoot?

No he was telling them you cannot be like a lot of premiershite players and run and grab the corner flag unless you put the ball in the onion bag .