The Board of Banbury United Football Club are pleased to announce a new structure of its men’s football section aimed at providing a Player Pathway for talented young players in the community. The new system has a desire to attract the best local young footballers and to offer a clear pathway and incentive to play at the highest level of non-league football possible in North Oxfordshire and the surrounding area.

This sees the formation of a development team who will play in the Hellenic League in 2019-20, and a Senior Youth Programme for age group teams playing in the relevant Midland Junior Premier Leagues from Under 14s upwards.

All of this is underpinned by the current successful youth section, the Mini Puritans, chaired by Dewain Clarke, who will continue to provide recreational football for local young players from Under 6 to Under 17 levels in local leagues with opportunities for progression within the Senior Youth Programme.

The current Mini Puritans Under 13 team will form the core of an Under 14 team playing in the MJPL in 2019-20 with the team management, Matt Harris, Stephen Norris and Nigel Upton remaining in their roles.

This season’s successful MJPL Under 14 team managed by Nick Johnson will play in the MJPL at U15 level next season and further teams will be added in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons to give the club a full complement of teams from Under 14 to Under 17's playing in the MJPL

The Development team which will play in the Hellenic League in the 2019-20 season This team will offer a transition from youth to adult football for talented young players as well as supporting the club’s 1st team.

Work is underway to increase the number of female teams at Banbury United and thereby to devise an equivalent scheme for female football at the Club. Details on this will be announced in due course

The club are also pleased to announce a number of key personnel who will assist with this.

Former Assistant Manager Andy Sinnott returns as Director of Football. Andy has a wealth of experience in the game as a player and manager at senior and junior levels. His overarching role will be to ensure that a quality training, development and education process is put in place to the benefit of individual players, club teams and, the football club as a whole.

As well as working at all levels in the club Andy will play a key role in player recruitment, not only with the first team, but working closely with the senior youth system and development team to produce players for the first team. Andy will also oversee a team of scouts working on behalf of the club in all neighbouring counties and beyond, including Lee Sullivan, previously chief scout at Kidderminster Harriers, in the Midlands.

The clubs scouting and recruitment system will be supported by an administration team of Mark Timms and Ricky Rea Junior. They will underpin and support the work being done by the scouts.

Nick Johnson will become the head of the club’s new Senior Youth Programme. Nick joined the club last summer and previously spent 10 years working at Brackley Town and was instrumental in the development of their youth section.

Finally, the club are delighted to announce the appointment of former Reading and Coventry City Goalkeeper Ali Worby as a specialist Goalkeeping coach working with keepers from all age groups within the club.

United Chairman Phil Lines commented on the news and said “These appointments are very important for the development of Banbury United Football Club. The club has made great strides since the fan takeover in 2015 and many good things have happened. It’s now very important we put plans in place to prepare the club to move higher up the non-league pyramid and this restructure has been done with that in mind. I look forward to seeing the club develop further over the next few seasons and offering opportunities for more players in the 1st team to come through the club ranks”

The Banbury United Directors are sure the club’s supporters and members will join the board in wishing everyone involved in the new footballing structure every success as they take up their new roles. The club is making significant football structural changes for the first time in many years, with a clear vision for the club’s future progression in mind.