Dan Wright thinks things bode well for the future of Brentford’s Football Conference Youth Alliance Partnership as the new training group go from strength to strength both on and off the field.
This summer saw the creation of two new Brentford teams, The Brentford Bees and The Brentford Griffins, through a partnership between the club’s Category Two Academy and West Thames College.
Around 40 boys enrolled in the programme in the summer to train with Brentford’s Academy three times a week, study for a BTEC with the college and play competitive fixtures in the Football Conference Youth Alliance on Wednesdays.
After a slow start to the season results wise, as players got used to playing the Brentford way, results have been on the up in recent matches.
The Brentford Griffins are seventh in the London and South East Division with three wins, three draws and three defeats from nine games.
The Brentford Bees currently sit seventh in the Home Counties and South West Division only three points off third place.
Dan admits it took a little while to get all the boys up to speed with how Brentford like to play but the former Eastleigh man believes that now they are up and running they can really kick on.
“It is really good,” said Dan.
“We have managed to create a really positive environment.
“Individually and collectively the boys have moved on a lot.
“The top boys have played some really good football at times and had some really good results.
“They have had some bad results as well but there hasn’t been a game where they have come off and we have been disappointed with how they played.
“The other group came in at a lower level but they have now progressed to being competitive.
“They have won three of their last four, and by some big scorelines as well, and individuals in that group have really kicked on which is pleasing as well.
“There are many aspects to the players but technically and tactically there was lots that needed work.
“We had to start at the bottom, especially with the second group, but once you get that foundation you can start to work on the little details, which is helping them to keep clean sheets and to score goals.
“We have laid all the foundations so now we can start to implement the way that Brentford want us to play which you can see.”
The College Partnership has two broad aims, firstly, to try and get youngsters into professional and competitive non-league football, but also to give them life and employment skills they can rely on should their football careers not progress.
Built around their training schedule and matches, the 40 boys spend much of the rest of their time working towards their BTEC at the West Thames College.
For Dan there is an important balancing act to be struck between keeping the dream of playing football alive while, at the same time, teaching practical skills that can be used in the workplace.
Dan has been really pleased with how the boys have taken to the academic side of the programme and is hopeful that can lead to employment prospects within the football industry both playing and non-playing.
“The college programme is really successful and everybody is on track educationally,” said Dan.
“Like anything there are individuals who need more help and individuals who can just crack on and get it done.
“It has been an interesting last few weeks as they are starting to do work experience so they are having a real think about what it is they might do if it is not football.
“Some of them are starting to get more interested in the coaching side, the physiotherapy side and the media side.
“They are starting to see that if you can’t play it is really good to be able to link an income into your passion.
“It is a balancing act because you want to keep the dream alive.
“Working at clubs at different levels there are boys here who will definitely be paid to play football.
“How high they will go you never know?
“Can boys get into our Under-18s system or our Under-21 system you never know and that is what is exciting from a coaching point of view.
“From an Academic and employment point of view there are boys who are thinking about coaching.
“We have had chats with one lad who wants to be a P.E Teacher, one lad works at Griffin Park selling programmes.
“There are things that they are starting to look at in the real world where they need to pay for their Oyster Cards.
“They are looking at ways to get that money and if they can link that into football they will have a happy life.”
The College Partnership’s main aim however is to try and get boys back into football be it through Brentford’s Academy or elsewhere.
To that extent Dan has been really grateful for the help which the Academy staff have given him, including Under-18s manager Jon De Souza and Anthony Hayes.
Noah Amissah spent six weeks on trial with Anthony and Jon which other boys have been invited to train with the Youth Team.
Dan believes that seeing their teammates go close will only motivate the other boys in the college partnership to do more and work harder.
“It makes our job easier when you can see something tangible,” said Dan.
“Noah was really close: it wasn’t a token session, he was there for six weeks and he played in some of the fixtures.
“He went away to the away trips, was on the bus and in the team hotel.
“The conversation that I had with Anthony Hayes and Jon De Souza was that he was good but not good enough.
“We have got excited players that are younger than him so it was a really tough one for them.
“To have people like Noah and Tyler in our changing rooms, who are nearly there, it motivates them and inspires them to try harder and hopefully achieve that level.”
While league results have improved in recent weeks with both sides adapting to the leagues that they are in, Dan insists that it is development not results that interest him.
“The league is secondary for me because even at this age group we are at individuals,” said Dan.
“There are times on a Wednesday where it is frustrating because we are not getting the results or the goals that we think we should get.
“At times I have got to step back and look at individuals and how they are progressing.
“Our job here is to stretch every individual so if the weakest players are coming in and then they play at a better level on a Sunday or in a Saturday league then we have done our job.
“If they go into the Ryman League or if they go into the Academy then that is success as well.
“Winning the league would be great but realistically who remembers who won the league last year.
“Getting someone a professional contract has to be our priority and then we can work down that scale.”
Even though the season has only just reached its midway point plans are already well in hand for next year.
Dan revealed that the size of the programme is to be doubled to included four teams and 80 kids who will play and study with the partnership.
That level of backing from the Academy shows Dan and the rest of the coaches how seriously their work is taken in the home of finding a hidden gem who has slipped through the net so far.
“I have been fortunate because I ran a similar scheme elsewhere but for the club its been a learning curve,” said Dan.
“There have been a few issues we have had to sort out on the training side of things but that has been good.
“We have already put the plans in place for next season with 80 students and four teams so there will be a lot of teaching, coaching and work.
“We have a really good recruitment system but there is no recruitment system that is perfect and we will miss a kid as there are late developers and players who have been released.
“With the growth of this development programme we hope we can find the next kid to step into the Academy.”