Bradley to take charge of Leamington’s youth team

Bradley has managed the current under-16 team for a number of years, with many of those players hoping to make the step up to youth-team level.

The coaching set-up will include the existing backroom staff of Henry Jordan, Dan Ward and Leigh Phillips with Bradley hopeful he will be able to announce additional experienced support to his management team in the coming weeks.

Warwick-based press toolmaking company Quantum Manufacturing Ltd will be the youth team’s main sponsor.

Managing director Carl Corton said: “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to support the youth team of Leamington Football Club.

“I am a local businessman who wants to put something back into the community and it’s great to be in at the start of what is hopefully a long and exciting journey.”

Alongside the Midland Floodlit youth team, Brakes will also register an additional team to play in the Midland Junior Premier Under-18 League on Saturday mornings, which will act as a feeder to the youth team.

The Leamington FC Development Squad (DS) section are also seeking to establish new teams at under-12, under-13 and under-15 level, giving them a full range of teams from under-12s through to under-18s.

Leamington chairman Jim Scott said: ‘We are delighted to announce Darren as the youth team manager.

“As you would expect, we had a lot of interest in the position.

“But in the end it was a unanimous decision that continuity would be the best way forward as Darren and his team have worked with most of these players since they were 11 years old.

“We are taking ambitious steps by seeking to set up four additional teams at new age groups for the Development Squad section. This would give us an elite player pathway right through junior football and our long-term aim is for these local young players to feed into the first team.”

Scott added: “In two years we will look at the feasibility of an under- 21 team to bridge the gap between the youth and first teams, but at the moment there are no plans for a reserve team, so we need to ensure we have the right structures and people in place to get the youth section right.”

Trials for all age groups of the Leamington FC DS section will take place on Saturday May 26 and Saturday June 9 at Stockton Sports and Social Club, Napton Road, Stockton.

To register for trials, contact Bradley on 07717 620789.

Coaches and sponsors interested in being involved with the new teams should contact Mark Davidson on 07990 934587.