Words John Edwards Picture Jonathan Moore

Altrincham's innovative campaign to establish a pathway to the first team for talented youngsters in the area continues to place an emphasis on the person just as much as the player.

For decades, teenage hopefuls dreaming of a career in professional football have been discarded and left to fend for themselves after failing to make the grade from junior to senior status.

Alty are as keen as any club to nurture potential and turn it into the finished article, but the methods employed at The J.Davidson Stadium come with a duty of care that will apply to each and every one of the latest intake about to start their Academy journey with us.

The Altrincham FC Elite Football Academy and Education Programme, to give it its full title, is designed to produce future first-team players for the Robins but also arm those who don't quite meet the most exacting of standards with the necessary requirements for pursuing a career in a different field.

For those who are not kept on, there is also help and guidance from Alty's coaches to find another club at a more suitable level, so the skills honed in our Academy can continue to flourish alongside whatever line of work they choose away from the game. 

It very much mirrors the club's twin ethos of striving to put the best possible team on the pitch while also serving the wider community, and it has gone from strength to strength since being launched nearly five years ago.

Academy manager Paul Fay (pictured) outlined a weekly timetable awaiting the latest intake that will include expert coaching, competitive league match action for Alty's Academy teams and two-year A level-equivalent courses at Trafford College, all free of charge to the club due to higher education funding.

"On Monday, the boys are in college during the morning, followed by football training on the pitch in the afternoon," he said. "It's the other way round on Tuesday - football in the morning, college in the afternoon to allow more recovery time for game day on Wednesday, when we have competitive matches.

"Thursday, they are in college all day from 9am until 4pm, but they then spend time training with the Reserves in the evening. Friday is a day off, because they will then have a match on either Saturday or Sunday.

"That's how the week pans out, and we pack plenty into it. Each player has his own individual development plan and each one meets with the coaches on a monthly basis to review and revise the targets that have been set.

"There's a real emphasis on getting the very best out of each boy, both in terms of his football ability and the Level 3 educational element at Trafford College that is the equivalent to three A levels.

"The main aim, of course, is to bring as many boys as we can all the way through to the senior squad, and it's fantastic when that happens. You look at Tom Jones starting out as a six-year old and going on to earn a professional contract, and Owen German and Joel Bailey have made similar strides.

"And what a moment it was last February when Louie Fallon went on after Ethan Ross was injured and helped the team see out the last 20 minutes for a 3-1 win over Braintree. That was another feather in the cap for the Academy.

"Louie has done brilliantly, and we've seen significant progress from two other young goalkeepers this past season as well. Max Beddow has been playing North West Counties League football for Barnton since February, and they want him on loan again next season, while Charlie Noble played over 30 games for our Reserves, which is remarkable for a kid of his age.

"Now another intake are ready to get started in September, and the success of the system is reflected in the numbers it is attracting. There were nearly 200 kids vying for places when the process began last October, and we've had to hold three lots of trials to whittle it down to a final number in the mid-20s.

"Increasingly, over the last three years, it has become more localised, and I think the furthest any of the new boys will be travelling in is from Wilmslow.

"We all know how much it means to supporters to see local boys pulling on the jersey, and after seeing the potential in the latest intake, I have high hopes that we will be seeing more of that in the next few years."