What a successful season for the club. For the first time in many years the team have finished higher than in the previous season and fantastic credit must go to the Gaffer, his staff and the players. Should promotion be achieved, it will be the icing on the cake and no-one would be cheering louder than our Youth Development Scheme.

When we look back over the season, it is more difficult for us to measure success. With the first team it is simply determined by league position. If that was the case, then the youth scheme has improved immeasurably because our scholars, playing under the name of CRC, are at the time of writing seventh in the Ridgeons Premier Division.

We already have fifteen more points than our total last season when we finished 17th.

Another two scholars - Robbie Willmott and, more recently, Craig Bussens [article] - have signed professional contracts with Cambridge United this season, making it five products of the revamped Youth Development Scheme in the first team squad over the two years since its inception.

In addition, one of our graduates, Josh Coulson, has established himself as a major part of the first team and the future of club with a number of impressive performances. His progress was rewarded with a new three year contract earlier in the season.

The last three months has also been key in signing our new intake of scholars. A number of these players have been signed from other clubs, but even more important was securing the immediate future of our own Luke Berry, who turned down the attention of several clubs higher in the football pyramid to commit himself to Cambridge United. He has a bright future and we are delighted it will be at the Abbey Stadium [article].

The others pictured are:

Ross Chapman (GK) ex-Millwall, Owen Kessack (LB) ex-Gillingham, Liam Hughes (CM) ex-Scunthorpe United, Josh Cooper (LM) ex-Scunthorpe United, Jack Eades (RM) ex-Nottingham Forest and Jack Bailey (CF) ex-Norwich City.

The other member of the group is Rogan McGeorge, who is a season ticket holder at the Abbey Stadium, loves the club and has signed following a successful trial. He had been playing locally with Fulbourn Falcons and I would like to thank Lorraine Cullum for her co-operation and help in this process. Whilst many of these players have come from far and wide, Rogan is a Cambridge lad and thoroughly deserves his opportunity.

L-R: Josh Cooper, Jack Bailey, Rogan McGeorge, Owen Kessack, Ross Chapman, Luke Berry, Jack Eades, Liam Hughes

In the younger age groups, we have again competed successfully with Centre of Excellence clubs from the Football League. We are grateful to the likes of Gillingham, Northampton Town, Colchester United, Lincoln City, Walsall, Shrewsbury Town and Tranmere Rovers for agreeing to play these fixtures.

A huge thanks also to Crewe Alexandra, Norwich City, MK Dons, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion, who are all Academy clubs that our boys have played against over the last twelve months. We also had matches with Rushden & Diamonds and Oxford United, who were both in the Centre of Excellence games programme this season but have now lost their Football League funding, so will be in the same position as ourselves.

Which brings us on to the biggest achievement of all and the real measure of our success, namely that we are still here! All the clubs listed above receive a grant of £138,000 per season plus funding for their scholars through the LSC. We receive nothing. Next season the funding is reportedly increasing to around £180,000.

Having received a visit from the Football League in April, they asserted that it would be merely a "rubber stamping" exercise for our scheme to attain a Centre of Excellence licence and the associated funding should the club win promotion. In other words, our scheme already adheres to the stipulated criteria. On the other hand, should a decision go against us, a chance go begging, lady luck be against us, the opposition keeper play a blinder etc and we lose in the play-offs, then the same scheme, will have to continue to operate on fresh air.

The equation is simple:

Promotion = funding (£138k minimum plus funding for scholars), the ability to contract U9's to U16's, and inclusion in the games programme.

Defeat in the Play-offs = no funding, unable to contract our U9's to U16's, and no games programme.

At the beginning of April, thirteen scholars and I jumped out of a plane at 12,500 feet because of the madness outlined above and the ludicrous way in which youth development is governed by the authorities in this country.

Our Skydive was just another way of trying to raise money, trying to balance the books.

Now you can see why the youth development department will be cheering the loudest on Tuesday night and hopefully at Wembley!

Jez George
Head of Youth Development

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