Dorking Wanderers Youth Development Scholars
The club is delighted to announce that two members of the U16s Youth Development squad, Freddy Leather and Dominic Plank, have become the first recipients of a DWFC Youth Development Scholarship.
Dorking Wanderers is committed to developing its own players, and the club has identified Freddy and Dominic as players who could one day represent the First Team.
A Scholarship Panel of Marc White (First Team Manager), Jordan Clark (Director of Football) and Richard King (Head of Youth Development) will now monitor Freddy and Dom’s development, with a review every 6 months, and if their progress matches the club’s expectations, they will then be offered a professional contract on their 17th birthdays.
Benefits of the Scholarship include: Training & Playing Opportunities with the U18 and Elite Development Squads; 1 on 1 Coaching; First Team Mentors; Personalised Video Analysis; and Physio/Conditioning programmes.
Dorking Wanderers Youth Development (DWYD) identifies and recruits the best local talent, then helps them develop the technical, tactical, physical and psychological skills necessary to maximise their potential. DWYD teams play and train at Meadowbank Stadium, and all players benefit from a bespoke DWYD curriculum delivered by UEFA qualified coaches, video performance analysis, conditioning & fitness programmes, psychological support, and a positive, pressure-free environment for them to develop and enjoy their football. DWYD teams play on Sundays in the top division of the Surrey Youth League.
Richard King commented: "Freddie and Dominic have been part of our programme since they were 11, and I’m thrilled that the club has shown its commitment to developing its own players, by recognising their potential, and rewarding them with these scholarships. There’s plenty of hard work ahead, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for them, and we will continue to do everything we can to maximise their potential and help them progress up the pathway. Their success will also inspire other DWYD players, and we will be looking to award more scholarships over the coming seasons."
Marc White added: "We are approaching the third season of our Elite Development set up (EDS) which has had phenomenal success. From the outset the vision for the EDS was to give the very best players from a local and regional basis a platform to receive the very best coaching and mentoring to progress up our pathway. The midterm objective is to produce the very first home-grown Dorking Wanderers players, something we have never had the luxury of before as we are such a young club. So we are delighted to announce that two extremely talented boys, Freddie and Dominic, are the very first scholars. We look forward to enhancing their development through our successful U18 and Reserve sides."
Jordan Clark also added: "Firstly, huge congratulations to both Dom and Freddie but also to Richard King, Sal and all of the coaches who have done a great job at helping these boys reach the levels they are at now. We are excited about these two players and they have already trained with our Elite Development squad (Reserves) and have had minutes for our flagship U18's side. At 15 years of age this is a great testimony of their hard work. I look forward to seeing how they develop and also to help them grow. As a club we are very grateful to them and their parents for their ongoing commitment in what has been a very difficult time, so we look forward to helping them on their journey and we definitely have a pair of future first team Wanderers players here."
If you have a talented, committed footballer, aged U8-U16, and interested in trialling for the Dorking Wanderers Youth Development section, please email richard@dorkingwanderers.com