A TEAM of Herefordshire coaches have been working hard to take on the rebranded Hereford Development Centre for next season.

Herefordshire FA announced last month that they would no long run the centre and a group of coaches have taken on the scheme to showcase talented footballers in the county.

The new centre will partner with Hereford Lads Club who have offered to administer and provide all welfare/safeguarding requirements to enable the centre to reach required deadlines to affiliate ready for next season.

The Hereford Development Centre will continue to use the Herefordshire FA and Lads Club facilities, as with the previous centre.

“Our goal in creating the Hereford Development Centre is to provide a dynamic platform for young athletes to harness their skills, foster teamwork, and continue to play at a high level amongst other high achievers within Herefordshire,” said club chairman Simon Measor.

“This initiative is a testament to our commitment to nurturing talent and promoting a positive sporting culture within our community.

“We have volunteers from all clubs around Herefordshire as we want to attract all players regardless of who their grassroots club may be.

“The leagues in which our teams will participate in will not interfere with the excellent work our grassroots teams provide within the county. On our elected committee we currently have representation from Pegasus, Tenbury, Westfields and Lads Club. Demonstrating that we wish to be a centre for all.”

Danny Moon, current first team manager at Hereford Lads Club, has been appointed Operations Director. Meanwhile, James Edmonds will be the Head Coach for the centre.

The teams (consisting of under-12’s to under-16’s will participate in the Midland Junior Premier League every Saturday, with organised fixtures against similar development and talent centres in the region.

The Hereford Development Centre will provide twice weekly training sessions, which is a step up from the one session which is typical at grassroots level.

These will be held at state of-the-art 3G pitches to ensure continuity of development throughout the season.

Coaches will follow an FA approved technical syllabus with a key focus on improving all aspects of player performance across in possession, out of possession and transitional topics.

Specialist goalkeeper training, with FA qualified GK coaches will also be carried out. The centre will be conducting trials and will release dates and information shortly.

Hereford FC have provided support to the organisation and will continue to provide complimentary match tickets for the boys and allow the player of the month to be awarded at a home game.

Anybody who believes that they can contribute to the success of the organisation can email: hello@hereforddevelopmentcentre.co.uk or search Hereford Development Centre on social media.