COUGARS have made Frank Levy their first-ever academy football manager as they seek to attract the best young talent to Cougar Park and develop them into first-team stars.

The 55-year-old Londoner has spent the past two years working as Keighley's under-20s team manager after returning to the club following a spell at Bradford Bulls.

He also coaches amateur outfit Bradford Victoria Rangers' open-age side and is part of a four-strong team heading up Cougars' new reserve team.

Levy works alongside long-serving head of youth development Jeremy Crowther and coaches Dean Muir and Scott Lindsay.

The Under-20s Championship was scrapped at the end of last season and a new reserve league has been set up comprising of six teams – Cougars, Leigh, Featherstone, Dewsbury, Sheffield and York – who play each other three times.

Levy, who played rugby league for Fulham as a youngster and also represented London Schools at rugby union, said: "It's a new role that has been created and I'm delighted to take it up.

"I think it will take a little bit of pressure off Jeremy and provide additional support to Dean and Scott.

"The under-20s side finishing and it becoming a full reserve grade is probably why they have put me in place, to try and implement what we have started.

"A lot of the under-20s side had come right through from under-16s to being players who were not playing in the first team, either through coming back from injury or just not being in the squad for whatever reason.

"But they've got a chance now with this reserve grade to actually put themselves back in the shop window and say to Paul March: 'You should be picking me, I want to be back involved in the first team'.

"There were some good players and teams in the under-20s side last season but now it's a big step up for everybody because they're playing against players who have come down from Super League.

"We took some batterings last year but it's a big learning curve and Featherstone and Leigh will be particularly strong again this year."

Levy is a driving instructor by day and performs his role at Cougars on a voluntary basis, attending training on Tuesday and Thursday nights and liaising closely with the club's coaching staff.

This is his third season back at Cougar Park and he will use his network of contacts and knowledge of the game to scout the best young players in the area.

That means recruiting youngsters from not only Keighley but Bradford and Halifax as well.

Levy explained: "I left the Bulls two years ago, so this will be my third season at Keighley.

"I had two years with the under-20s, basically as team manager and bringing in players from a scouting perspective.

"I coached Ethan Ryan at West Bowling, from 14 to 17 when I left, and he got released by the Bulls and I took him to Keighley.

"The Bulls came back for him and now he's on the verge of hopefully establishing himself there. He's an absolute quality player and I think he will make it at the Bulls.

"There are no finances to speak of as such but my four-year plan – working with Dean Muir and Scott Lindsay, who are the coaches – is to look at eventually having under-15s, 16s, 19s and a reserve side.

"That would be my goal. Whether it comes to fruition is another matter but there are obviously the bright lights of the Super League clubs.

"There are players out there if you're prepared to put the hard yards in and go out and look for them."

Levy enjoyed his time at Bradford but he wanted a more hands-on role with coaching, although he still doing it at amateur level.

He said: "I went back to Keighley, having previously worked along with Jeremy on the scholarship, and it was a bit of a free rein after being told 'you go out there and find us the players and try and bring them through the system'.

"We basically scout all the Halifax clubs such as Siddal, Elland, Stainland, King Cross and Greenland, plus the Bradford sides West Bowling, Victoria Rangers and Dudley Hill, and obviously all the Keighley clubs such Keighley Albion and Worth Village.

"For me that's the future of Keighley Cougars – bringing homegrown talent through towards the first team.

"From last year's under-20s, we have Chris Watson, Andy Gabriel, Tom Courtney and Liam Darville, all on first-team contracts.

"That obviously makes me feel good. I was speaking to Marchy at training last week and he said Andy Gabriel was absolutely outstanding up at Barrow.

"Andy is just a natural athlete with pace to burn. He was always dangerous for us last year and I think he's going to push for the first team regularly this year; he's that good."