Excellence needed to make the grade (From Gazette Series)

Excellence needed to make the grade

A COACH from Wotton-under-Edge is looking to turn Gloucestershire youngsters into the footballing stars of the future.

Dave Williams has just been appointed as the assistant director of youth at the Bristol Rovers Centre of Excellence and he views the county as a relatively untapped area for young talent.

"At the academy, we really feel that we have not tapped into Gloucestershire," he said.

"Aston Villa and Southampton have connections in the county, so there are obviously a lot of talented players out there."

As assistant director of the centre, Williams will oversee the development of players aged eight to 12.

He will be in charge of scouting and tactical development rather than coaching out on the pitch.

The best players will stay until they are 16 before signing trainee deals with the club or moving elsewhere.

Williams added: "We have one of the strongest centres in the country, so much so that Chelsea took one of our 16-year-olds last season - Scott Sinclair."

A co-founder of the Wotton Rovers youth set-up, Williams took his UEFA C licence while at Wotton before he was approached by former Bristol Rovers boss Phil Bater in 2001.

He was invited to take up a post at the centre of excellence where he has worked for the last four years, gaining his UEFA B licence in the time, before landing his new role.

Williams has two sons at the centre of excellence. Kris, a full back with the U15s, and Lee, a striker for the U12s, who hit 27 goals last season.

Youngsters at the centre only play against teams from other Football League and Premiership clubs' academies and are not permitted to play in local football as well.

Last season, the Bristol Rovers centre of excellence took on teams including Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion.

The centre of excellence is always on the lookout for young talent and any local club with talented players aged between eight and 12 can call Dave Williams on 07702 106578 so he can see if they have what it takes to make the grade.

Williams said: "We need to know who the boys of ability are."