Member Article

Rotherham’s new football training academy scores amongst the region’s talented youngsters

Foot Famous, a football development academy that supports the progression of grassroots players into local and national professional academies has launched and held its first set of trials after receiving a Kickstart grant from UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE).

Founded in October 2018, business owner Lewis Mills decided to pursue his dreams of facilitating the exposure of talented young footballers in the area to scouts and managers from the top football clubs in the region - including Rotherham United and Barnsley FC - and beyond.

Using the £500 grant from UKSE - an organisation tasked with aiding the economic development of the areas of the UK most affected by changes in the steel industry – Lewis ‘kick-started’ the business by purchasing branded kit, training equipment and marketing collateral to spread the word amongst the region’s up-and-coming football stars.

The team of 4 coaches run weekly sessions from Wath Comprehensive School and, having recently completed its first round of trials, now has 10 players in the Under 8s, 9s and 10s age groups signed up to a structured 12-week programme that aims to develop overall footballing ability.

Lewis commented: “I’m thrilled to have completed my first lot of trials and am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm all of the players have to progress - I have no doubt that each and every one of them will go on to achieve great things in the footballing world!

“The academy works to a comprehensive structure and we regularly assess each player to make sure they are progressing – our mission is to see the players thrive and reach their final goals no matter what.

“With links to a number of top clubs I hope it’s only a matter of time before we’ve got players from Foot Famous trialling for their prestigious junior academies!”

Allan Wood of UKSE added: “With clear routes for development and providing a stepping stone between local, regional and national football clubs, Foot Famous will be instrumental in bolstering the region’s next generation of football stars.

“I’m delighted that funding from our Kickstart programme has allowed Lewis to bring his dream to fruition and hope that, with his expertise and team of coaches, the business will thrive.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Clark .