Every young footballer dreams of playing in the Premier League and for youngsters in Monmouth, the path to that illustrious career is about to get a little clearer.

A Player Development Centre (PDC) has been set up in St Weonards, just over the border in Herefordshire, by top-flight West Bromwich Albion.

The centre is being run by two Monmouth-based coaches – Andy Bevan and Nick Oxford – and will act as a feeder to the club's fully-funded Elite Centre in Gloucester.

Players who make the grade there progress to West Brom's Premier League academy.

Andy, who was asked to set up the new centre while completing his UEFA 'A' licence at St George's Park, has spent two years coaching at Hereford United and 12 months scouting for Blackpool.

Nick, who worked alongside Andy for the Bulls, is well-known among local football fans after spells at Monmouth Town and Raglan.

"Hereford started their 'youth pathway' two years ago and we had five scholars progress to the academy in the first year, and four in the second," said Andy.

"That's great but we wanted to do so much more."

The new PDC will see Andy amd Nick working to a syllabus laid down by West Brom's academy while allowing them to use some of their own tried-and-tested coaching methods.

"It is all about developing the youngsters – making them better people as well as better players," said Andy.

"When players arrive for training they have to shake the coach's hand, and also when they leave.

"It is important not only for discipline, but that I can thank each player for attending and they can thank me for delivering the session. It also teaches respect on both sides, which is fundamental.

"I will be running the main sesssions with an experienced coach from Herefrod, James Edmonds, who has his 'B' licence, there will be specialised coaching for goalkeepers and Nick's role will be liasing between the coaching team and parents.

"We believe in giving constant feedback to the boys and their parents. We are always setting benchmarks and targets to achieve," said Andy.

"I also compile statistics during games like shooting accuracy and ball retention, and at the end give each player a mark out of 10. They also score themselves out of 10 and if we are two marks out, they talk to Nick."

Sessions lasting an hour-and-a-half on a Thursday cost £5 and will initially be run for five to 10-year-olds, although the age groups are flexible and Andy is looking to add more as the centre progresses.

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"We will also be wearing the same kit as the Elite Centre, so parents won't have to fork-out twice. It won't be the same as the West Brom academy, though, as the players should have to earn that right."

Andy also runs a private coaching business which focuses more on having fun, but says that while it better to start young, age should not be a barrier.

"The first time I played competitively was for the Under 16s at Monmouth, and I ended up playing semi-pro and getting paid for it, so you can always develop and improve your game."

Two boys from Monmouth have already been scouted to join the Elite Centre, which counts among its successes Jack Butland, the goalkeeper who made his name at Birmingham City and is currently first-choice for the England Under 21s.

Trials for the PDC are taking place at the Monmouth School Sports Centre on Wednesday 26th June, and Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 10th July from 5.30pm to 9pm.

To book a place, call 07582999311 or email [email protected]">[email protected]