Eastleigh keep focus on youth
By Wendy Gee - 
BRIDLE Insurance’s big plans for Eastleigh will not detract from the club’s youth policy.
Quite the opposite in fact.
According to director of football Dave Malone, Bridle, who have a five-year plan to get the Spitfires into the Football League, are as passionate about youth development as the club are.
Back in the summer, Eastleigh launched a player development scheme, inviting young players with aspirations to turn professional to train full-time with the club.
Already one of the first intake, Sam Wilson, has had trials with Premier League outfit Fulham and was last week training with Leicester City.
Although it will be a few weeks before Bridle acquire a majority shareholding at Eastleigh, they have already agreed a generous sponsorship deal which has paved the way for experienced duo Damian Scannell (Dagenham & Redbridge) and Scott Rogers (Newport County) to join the Blue Square Bet South club.
And while Malone accepts that a reinforced Spitfires side will now “raise the crossbar higher” for aspiring youngsters looking to break into the first team, he insists the club – backed by Bridle – are more committed then ever to seeing the youth policy through.
“Not only do Bridle want to keep the youth development scheme, they want to expand it,” he confirmed.
“They haven’t defined their plans yet, but they’re 100 per cent behind full-time football and will be trying to get funding to make the youth policy better than it already is.
“We see it as a way of saving money in the long-term because we will be bringing our own players through.”
Quite the opposite in fact.
According to director of football Dave Malone, Bridle, who have a five-year plan to get the Spitfires into the Football League, are as passionate about youth development as the club are.
Back in the summer, Eastleigh launched a player development scheme, inviting young players with aspirations to turn professional to train full-time with the club.
Already one of the first intake, Sam Wilson, has had trials with Premier League outfit Fulham and was last week training with Leicester City.
Although it will be a few weeks before Bridle acquire a majority shareholding at Eastleigh, they have already agreed a generous sponsorship deal which has paved the way for experienced duo Damian Scannell (Dagenham & Redbridge) and Scott Rogers (Newport County) to join the Blue Square Bet South club.
And while Malone accepts that a reinforced Spitfires side will now “raise the crossbar higher” for aspiring youngsters looking to break into the first team, he insists the club – backed by Bridle – are more committed then ever to seeing the youth policy through.
“Not only do Bridle want to keep the youth development scheme, they want to expand it,” he confirmed.
“They haven’t defined their plans yet, but they’re 100 per cent behind full-time football and will be trying to get funding to make the youth policy better than it already is.
“We see it as a way of saving money in the long-term because we will be bringing our own players through.”
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