With the Player Development Centre having restarted this week, Head of PDC Phil Priestley looks ahead to another season.
What an interesting and busy Summer break it has been with my new role as head of PDC, taking over from Ben Parker.A massive thank you to Ben for the fantastic work he did on and off the field to develop the PDC.
The centre has continued to grow this summer with new players applying all the time for our coaching from FA qualified coaches for players aged 3-16.
Over the past few weeks we have held successful presentation evenings for new and existing parents/players to attend and ask any questions regarding the coming season, but also for me to explain how the PDC and Academy works; a big thank you to those who attended.
Last year saw the PDC travel to Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, while Premier League sides Leicester and Manchester City played at The CNG Stadium, hopefully these fixtures can be arranged again along with an extensive games programme.
The progression from PDC to Academy will be seen more this year as we have introduced a trial period of two weeks, three times a year, where players can be assessed by coaches in games and training alongside Academy players.
Our aim as a club is to develop young footballers, help them improve their skills, have fun and progress as a player through the ranks so that hopefully he or she will be pulling on a first team shirt for Harrogate Town one day.
Phil Priestley