Brentford Youth Team Manager Jeremy Steele said he had already worked with the players that will form the Under-18 side next season and said it was a “talented group”.
Ten young players from the Club’s Under-16 squad will start two-year scholarships with Brentford in the summer.
Central defenders Audrius Laucys, Gradi Milenge and Daniel Webster, left back Makhosini Ryan Khayne, central midfield players James Ferry and Zain Westbrooke, winger Tom Field, midfield player Herson Rodrigues Alves and strikers Seika Jatta and Courtney Senior will all join the Club’s full-time youth ranks at the start of the 2013/14 season.
Nine of the ten have already played in the Under-18 Professional Development League for Brentford while Audrius, Makhosini and Courtney have played for Brentford’s Development Squad in the Under-21 league.
Audrius, Daniel, James, Tom, Herson, Seika and Courtney were part of the Brentford squad which won the Junior competition at the prestigious Milk Cup youth tournament in Northern Ireland last summer.
Two more youngsters – Bradley Clayton and Jhonttan Castiblanco – will be retained on extended schoolboy forms for the 2013/14 season, making them available for the Club’s Youth Team.
Brentford had a young Youth Team this season with the side largely made up on first year scholars – those who would qualify for an Under-17 side.
They will still be available for the Under-18 side in 2013/14.
“The Under-16s are a talented group, there are high hopes,” said Jeremy, speaking to Bees Player last week.
“They didn’t win the Milk Cup for nothing.
“They beat some good sides.
“They have carried that on through the season.
“I have worked with them once a week and I know what is coming through in to the Under-18 group.
“There are some excellent players and some have already made their mark at Under-18 level.
“We had four Under-16 players in the team on the final day of the season and the rest were Under-17s, apart from Myles Hippolyte and Joe Maloney.
“They will all be available next season.”
The Club did not offer professional terms to four young players that ended their scholarships this summer.
Defender Stefan Tomasevic, midfield players Max Herbert and Joe Maloney and striker Myles Hippolyte all left Brentford at the end of the season.
Goalkeeper James Bransgrove also left the Club at the end of the season when his Youth contract expired.
Jeremy said Brentford had worked with those players to help them decide what to do next.
“We put a lot of effort in to the lads, even if we are not taking them on,” the Youth Team Manager explained.
“We think it is important to give them exit strategies.
“We talk to them about where they are going next.
“The scholarship programme is also a two-year education programme.
“Successful exit routes may be university or getting a scholarship in the USA.
“We are talking to a couple of lads about their options.
“We will help them.
“The ultimate success is a professional contract but that is hard.
“The First Team is pushing for Championship football.
“We have to make decisions about players based on where the Club is going to be and whether the players can cope with that.
“Every second year made appearances for the Development Squad this year, so did many of the Under-17s.
“It’s a good sign for the Under-18 group if they are playing in the Under-21s every week.”
Jeremy said there were no targets for the 2013/14 season but he hoped to finish in a better position in the Under-18 Professional Development League Two South.
Brentford won three games in the competition this year – all after Jeremy arrived in November – and finished bottom of the table.
The Youth Team boss added the one competition that could be used as a guide of the strength of an Under-18 side was the FA Youth Cup.
“The FA Youth Cup is important,” he said.
“Every club puts out a full strength team, everyone takes it seriously.
“If players are on the fringes of the First Team they will probably still play in the Youth Cup.
“That is a good gauge.
“The league table isn’t so much a factor.
“If the Under-18 players are doing well they will be playing in the Under-21 side and the Under-18 team will be Under-16 players.
“A good result for an older Under-18 team and a younger Under-18 team is very different.
“We would like to think we would do better than this year but I don’t want to set a target.”
Jeremy said it was important for his young players to switch off for a few weeks and recover from the season before going again in late June.
“The boys need to have a total break,” he said.
“Hopefully they can get some downtime and enjoy some sunshine.
“The coaching staff will do the same; we will switch off completely for a couple of weeks.
“The players start to build themselves up and are back in for the start of the season.
“Over the course of the season it is physically and mentally draining.
“This time of the season is very important to switch off and get some downtime.”
An end-of-season interview with Jeremy Steele was broadcast in three parts – Bees Player subscribers can see it here, here and here.