TO emphasise the great work which is being carried out within Centre of Excellences outside of the Football League, Wrexham played host to their counterparts from Cambridge United yesterday.

The games were played at Colliers Park, with four matches for children aged between 8 & 11.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't very kind, but the kids from both clubs had a great time and the fixtures were played in a very sporting manner.

For the record the results were:

U8s - Wrexham 9 - 1 Cambridge United
U9s - Wrexham 2 - 1 Cambridge United
U10s - Wrexham 7 - 2 Cambridge United
U11s - Wrexham 0 - 2 Cambridge United

To highlight the loss of funding that Centre of Excellence lose out on when the senior club drops out of the Football League, coaches from Cambridge United's scheme recently completed a 'Walk For Equality', when they travelled from Torquay to Cambridge.

The idea was to highlight the inequality in the funding of youth football for professional clubs throughout the country. Seven full-time professional clubs in the Conference are running a Centre of Excellence without any protection for their young players.

Cambridge have issued the following fact sheet concerning their own particular Youth Funding problems, not all of which apply to Wrexham FC, but it might well still be of interest -

Jez George writes:

Funding for all Premiership and Football League clubs is split between the Under 9's to Under 16's and the Scholars (16-18 years old).

The funding for Under 9's to 16's is worth £180,000 per year. This is available to all Football League clubs if they meet the criteria. Currently clubs such as Dagenham & Redbridge, Barnet, Morecambe, Aldershot and Bristol Rovers choose not to run Centre of Excellence Schemes and thus do not receive this funding.

These clubs, plus Notts County, Bournemouth, Hereford and Yeovil, do not run the Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (ASE) programme through the League Football Education (LFE), so don't receive funding but still play in the Football League Youth Alliance.

If the Football League budget for ALL 72 of their clubs to run Centre of Excellence programmes with the associated funding, what happens to the money these clubs would receive?

The funding for the Scholars, through the LFE, is worth approx £50,000 per year to each club on the following basis:

• £35/scholar/week for 52 weeks towards wages (maximum of 18 scholars)
• £10/scholar/week towards travelling expenses
• £1,000/scholar for completing and achieving their academic framework
• £500/scholar signed on a professional football contract

Last season, nine of our scholars gained the academic qualification and two were signed on professional contracts, meaning that Cambridge United Youth Development would have received £10,000 in LFE funding.

We still pay the scholars wages despite not receiving any LFE funding. This costs us approx £35,000 per annum. It also means that we pay less than Football League clubs, which makes it hard to compete for players who are released from bigger clubs, such as Jordan Collins (Ipswich Town), Sam Cutler (Charlton Athletic), Blaine Hudson and Jack Bailey (Norwich City), who may have other options.

We pay £45/week from the beginning of July to the end of May. Football League clubs, with the funding available, pay £55/week for 1st Years and £60/week for 2nd Years over the entire 52 weeks. The net cost to them, based on 18 scholars, is £21,060 ( £53,820 - £32,760).

Therefore, not only do we have a disadvantage against EVERY club in the country when offering full-time scholarships, it also costs us £25,000/year (£14,000 loss in wages plus £10,000 from academic achievement/professional contracts).

The rules regarding Centres of Excellence are that should the club be relegated from the Football League, they receive half funding in Year 1 and no funding from Year 2 onwards regarding their Under 9's to 16's. This means that Wrexham and Mansfield Town have received £90,000 this season, whilst other ex-Football League clubs (Rushden & Diamonds, Oxford United, Torquay United and York City) do not receive any funding.

However, some of these schemes are included in the U9-U16 Centre of Excellence Games Programme. WE ARE NOT.

In addition, all of the clubs listed above receive LFE funding for their Scholarship Scheme and are allowed to play in the Football League Youth Alliance. WE DO NOT.

Therefore, not only is it ridiculous that clubs lose their funding when they lose their Football League status, even though they remain full-time and continue to adhere to the criteria for operating a Centre of Excellence, but we are not even treated the same as these other six clubs.

The Football League explains this anomaly by the fact that all the other schemes continued in the same form following relegation, whereas Cambridge United disbanded their youth policy in November 2005 following administration and the entire youth department leaving for another club with all the players. Even though our current scheme meets the criteria, we cannot be re-admitted.

However, York City and Torquay United have done the same. The Football League argue that both clubs wished to continue with a scholarship scheme but the LFE withdrew the funding. Therefore, when circumstances at the LFE made it possible, they felt duty bound to re-admit these clubs. This is not entirely true.

Torquay United scrapped their youth scheme whilst still receiving funding and, as a member of the Football League, BEFORE relegation.

This is a precedent and must form the basis of our argument for re-admittance.

In order to highlight the ludicrous rules regarding funding and the inconsistent approach to clubs within the Conference, Matt Walker (Centre of Excellence Manager) and I (Jez George, Head of Youth Development) are walking 280 miles from Torquay to Cambridge from Monday 23rd February to Saturday 7th March. We will arrive at the Trade Recruitment Stadium prior to our home match against Burton Albion.

We aim to achieve three things:

1. Raise £50,000 to ensure the scheme survives into next season and gives us the financial base for long-term security. The scheme lost £65,000 in 2006/07 and £15,000 in 2007/08, but is in line to break even this season. These funds will cover previous losses and give us a sound platform to move forward.

2. Create a debate by involving the local and national media, other football clubs, and the football authorities to look at the basis on which funding is provided for youth development in this country. At the moment, the Football League runs the Centre of Excellence programme and has a remit to provide funding for their 72 clubs, not the best youth development schemes.

3. That Cambridge United should be admitted into the LFE programme for season 2009/10 so that our scholars can access the ASE Scheme, play in the Football League Youth Alliance, and be afforded the same opportunities as their counterparts within the Football League AND Blue Square Premier. A precedent has already been set with the re-admittance of Torquay United.

We have even asked to be included in the ASE programme so that our scholars can receive the same educational course, without the associated funding, but were told this is also a non-starter.

Cambridge United is the ONLY club in the country with this issue. Other clubs run football/education schemes with a local college but we are the ONLY club to offer a full-time two year scholarship, providing wages and accommodation, with NO funding.

In summary:

• Over 1000 local youngsters benefit from our Youth Development Scheme but our long term future is at risk unless the club is promoted back into the Football League.
• We have no compensation rights for any of our young players, until we can put them on a professional contract at 17.
• We have to organise our own fixtures and have the permission of the Football League to play their clubs, but are not included in their games programme.
• We receive no funding for our 9's to 16's.
• Our scholars are not allowed to play in the Football League Youth Alliance.
• We receive no funding for our two year full-time scholarship programme.
• Our scholars cannot access the Football League Modern Apprenticeship (ASE).

Despite the above, in just over two years:

• Five scholars have made first team debuts - Coulson, Hyem, Collins (above), Willmott, McAuley
• Four ex-scholars are currently signed on professional contracts - Coulson, Collins, Willmott, Bussens
• Another ex-scholar - Sam Cutler - is playing in the Blue Square Premier
• The scholars have defeated Crewe Alexandra, Tranmere Rovers and Colchester United over the last three seasons in the FA Youth Cup
• In 2006/07, we reached the last 32 of the FA Youth Cup, further than any other non-league club
• We have recently agreed a compensation package with West Brom and Blackburn for one of our promising young players, 15 year old Jackson Ramm
• Our 9's-16's continue to play their counterparts at clubs such as QPR, Gillingham, Northampton Town, Colchester United, Lincoln City, Millwall, Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town, Leyton Orient, Shrewsbury Town, Rushden & Diamonds, Oxford United and Tranmere Rovers.

Just think what could be achieved if we were allowed to operate on a level playing field...