BRADFORD City’s Football Development Programme has a goal of becoming “The best in the North”, after a hugely successful few years.

The Programme was set up in 2018, initially for boys aged between 15 – 16 years old, with the goal of creating good people and excellent footballers in a fantastic environment.

Supported by the charity arm of the club, Bradford City Community Foundation, the programme focuses on providing a fantastic football programme for players as well as creating a clear pathway to the Club’s successful Academy.

The programme now works with players from 9 – 22 year old and includes Elite Development Squads and Development Squads for u15s & u16s, an Elite Development Squad at u18s, as well as having fantastic Football & Education scholarships – the top teams playing in the best standard outside the Academy system.

And Head of the FDP, Adam Fox, admitted that after working in City’s Academy for a period of time as well as the Foundation, he felt there was an additional pathway for players to be created.

He said: “The Football Development Programme was set up in 2018 with the aim of providing a place for players to come and play at 15/16, being a pathway to the Academy and being a feeder for the club’s shadow scholarship programme.

“I was working in the academy at the time, and one thing we identified was a development centre for u15s/16s. “There were the usual academy age groups from u9s to u16s and Academy Development Centres up to u14s but there was no Development Centre after that, meaning that if you got released as a player at fifteen or sixteen, then you would have to leave the club. There was no fall-back option.

“We thought that it also potentially limited the number of lads that were able to be referred into the club, because the Academy had one mixed group for the u15s/16s and so the Academy couldn’t really accept any more.

“So, we felt that if we created an u15s and u16s programme, it would aid the Academy because we could work with more players, and another exit route should a player get released. We could also accept players referred in by the scouting system, grassroots teams etc and if they weren’t quite ready for Academy football they could stay with us through the shadow scholarship programme and there would be a clear pathway into the academy if they performed.”

And discussing the success of the Bradford City Football Development Programme, Fox said: “It’s been really positive since we began the programme in 2018. The relationship between us, the Club and the Academy is really strong. We’ve just had one lad sign for the Academy in the U15s and I think the Club see us a great addition to its Academy.”

“It’s brilliant because it allows the club to work with even more players and one of the things City pride themselves on, is producing local homegrown talent, to make that step up into the first team.”

Fox added: “We want to create the best Football and Education programme in the North, as well as being a fantastic support for the football club. We want players to follow their dreams and realise that although they might not go straight into Academy football, a pathway like ours can be a step into professional football.”