Crawley Town hoping to unearth hidden talent with 'unprecedented' link-up with foundation

The Crawley Town Community Foundation is the charity arm of the club and since it was established in 2012 has used the power of sport and football to engage, inspire and empower people in the local community.

They work with participants to positively change lives and support people in health & wellbeing, sports participation, equalities and inclusion, education, enterprise, employment and skills, regeneration and community safety.

But throughout the years, the two entities have not worked as closely together as they do now - and they are seizing on their relationship to benefit each other going forward.

This will include the chance for the Foundation’s academy team’s players to get a chance to train and even play with the first team - and this week the club announced four players had trained with the squad.

Ryan Soro Thomas, Ilias Al Meskin, Josh Clay and Saf Ahmed took part in a full day of first-team training led by Scott Lindsey, with academy head coach Rob Semark watching on.

Manager Lindsey said: “The boys did really well. We have a few injuries throughout the squad, and we always like to do a 11vs11 on the Friday before a Saturday match, so we needed the bodies. It was a great experience for them, and it was great to have them join us.”

The Academy participates in the National Football Youth League and have performed well in the last couple of years, uncovering some great young talent, including the league’s top scorer Wiktor Maznica and Arya Rajabali, who has progressed to Fleetwood Town’s under 23 team.

Now the head of the Community Foundation Darren Ford and Crawley Town’s director of football Chris Galley are working hard together to benefit both parties.

Ford told the Crawley Observer: “In terms of the academy linking up with the first teams nd the plans we have there it’s really important the Foundation provides that pathway for our players and students. To give them an opportunity of what it’s like.

“As we know it’s very difficult to get into professional game but at the same time if we can give them an insight into what goes on and it gives them that experience that will be good on their CVs then that’s really positive and as a foundation it is unprecedented , it’s something we haven’t done before but has been much needed.

“It’s really important to give everybody an opportunity and I think it also shows how closely the foundation and the club are now working together.”

Galley said: “This is something that we have been working on for a few months and I’m delighted to finally have some Crawley Town Community Foundation players in to train and trial with the first team.

“We did have several friendlies scheduled in the month of January, which were to help first team players build up their fitness after returning from injury, but also look at some new players, including the best players from the Community Foundation. Unfortunately, because of the poor weather conditions, they were all cancelled, and the squad was far too big to bring them into training sessions.

“We’re fortunate to have such a high-level Community Foundation on our doorstep and their performances of late have not gone unnoticed and that is mainly down to the staff – Darren, Holly, Rob, Adam, and many more are doing a fantastic job at developing these young men and long may that continue.

“By demonstrating that there is a potential pathway and an opportunity for the players to be part of the first team squad, it will continue to help the Foundation attract the best possible players in the area. However, we’ll all be making sure that players are on top of their education and if they aren’t, then the individual will lose the opportunity until they have caught up.”

When the club announced a new Elite Pathway Scheme in September, it appeared the foundation’s academy had been ignored. The scheme allowed young footballers between 17-21 looking for a pathway into professional football to attend professional sessions on a weekly basis.

But by the end of November it was announced the scheme had ended, thus opening the door to the link up between the foundation and the club.

Galley said: “Ultimately the training schools and foundations are good but when there is one right on our doorstep and we are working in the same building as a lot of these people, why are we not prioritizing them over anyone else.

“Hearing the stories from the past, it's baffling to me that there is not a bigger connection between the two. A lot of young players fall through the cracks. This is an opportunity for the Foundation to attract those players in the future.”

Ford said: “It does help us work together and for the club to utilise the foundation with a good news story. We are out there in the community and supporting a wide variety of individuals from within the community. Those students who attend our academy programme and our education programme are part of our community so it would be amazing if we unearthed a local lad that goes on to represent their club - very much like Ashley Nadesan. It can only grow and improve.

“Within the talent we have got there are some good lads within the academy and that on and off the pitch , they will only flourish under what opportunities we are providing them. It just makes so much sense for that utilisation to come about.

“The talent is there. Last season we have the top scorer in the league for the National Football Youth League and again we are doing really and that is down to the staff within the foundation, specifically the education academy department and that hard work the lads put into it and if we can support them and show them the different pathways that’s only going to encourage and inspire them to work harder and perform harder.

“It will help us massively for new players to be attracted to the academy, and that will help us no end and be a real positive.

“Hopefully that will be a positive not just for the foundation and the club, but the local community to show we have a vested interest in the community in supporting everyone to be the best they can be

“I am really pleased with what is going on . It’s the start of something really positive and hopefully it will set the foundations for moving forward.”

The Foundation provides education to the academy as well and Galley said that is a hugely important part of how the link up moves forward.

“There is going to be a lot of process behind making sure they are still getting their education and keeping up with it,” he said. “I have told them all personally that if they are not with it they will lose their opportunity. The first person I will be talking to is Holly [Walker, Education Academy Manager] to make sure they are keeping up with their education. For me that is pivotal.

“There is a reason the foundation exists and that’s to give these kids an opportunity to have an education as well as play football and have that dream of playing football and doing it on a regular basis, whether that is doing coaching or playing.”

On the experience of training with the first team, Thomas said: “I think it has been a great experience for us. The boys were really welcoming from the minute we walked in, and the training was really fun and challenging. We are going to benefit physically from this and get used to the aspects of the men's game and see how they play."

Speaking on the Education Academy’s season so far, Al Meskin said: “We were flying at the start of the season. We are still in a very good position in the league, but we have some tough games coming up, so we need to keep our heads down."

Holly Walker (Education Academy Manager), Rob Semark (Education Academy Head Coach) and Adam Djellab (Education Academy Coach) are the successful team behind the Education Academy and 2021/22 academic year was their best to date in the classroom and on the pitch.

Their education academy achieved a 100% pass rate.