Ian Taylor is behind Harriers link-up
Thursday 28th April 2011, 7:45AM BST.
Former Villa star Ian Taylor today threw his weight behind Kidderminster Harriers’ link up with Stourbridge College to form a dual academy.
The two will work in partnership to offer training opportunities for youngsters upward from 16-years-old, Harriers running a football academy with the college focusing on hospitality training.
Their goal is to progress youngsters with a talent for the game, while giving them qualifications to succeed in another industry as a fall-back.
Such a scheme has been a success at Villa, where Taylor is club ambassador, and Harriers hope the initiative will enable them to tap into more of the local talent in their community.
And Express & Star columnist Taylor, who started his career in non-league football at Moor Green, is in full support of the scheme.
He said: “I know from experience how hard it can be to get into the game, especially at this level, and having partnerships like this one on the go can only help young people today.
“Football academies nowadays put a lot of emphasis on the educational side of things and that is so important.
“Whatever career you go for, it’s vital to have that education to fall back on and that’s where this sort of partnership can be so beneficial.”
The academies will be officially launched at the start of the second week in May where football trials, a hospitality interview and selection process will be held at Harriers’ Aggborough Stadium.
All training will be undertaken at Aggborough and in the Kidderminster area, but the college will provide transport to and from the Black Country for students who live in that area.
Harriers will also promote the new academies in local schools through their ‘Football in the Community’ charity scheme.
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
