The response to Derby County's new Female Talent Pathway, which is directly aligned to the Derby County Women’s first team, has already been a resounding success.
The Female Talent Pathway has been formed to tie in with the recent integration of the Derby County Women First Team squad into the main club.
Squads will run from Under-10 to Under-20 level in the setup, with the pathway amalgamating the previous set-ups of the Derby County Women’s Academy and the Regional Talent Centre ran by Derby County Community Trust.
There’s plenty of excitement surrounding several of the age groups too after the Under-20s won the FA Women’s National League Reserve Midlands Division in the 2022/23 season, going unbeaten in the process, while several of the younger sides also claimed silverware during the campaign.
In order to maintain the progress moving forward, players from Derbyshire and surrounding areas who have a desire to develop themselves in an elite environment were recently invited for the trials to become part of the new Derby County Female Talent Pathway.
The new Derby County Female Talent Pathway trials took place at Moor Farm throughout June with over 750 players trialling for the squads, which will run from Under-10s through to Under-20s, feeding directly into the Women's first team. All of the squads will train for a minimum of two sessions per week and will compete in leagues with games taking place at the weekend.
Sheila Rollinson from Derby County Women said: “With the continued emphasis on bringing through our own talent into the first team squad at Derby County Women, the new Female Talent Pathway is a vital part of the structure of the club.
“In the past we have seen young players from both the Regional Talent Centres and our own Academy given the opportunity to play in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, the third tier of Women’s Football, and with this new pathway in place we are sure we will more of these players reaching the first team in future.
“As women’s football continues to grow, we think there are exciting times ahead for Derby County.”
Michael Noon, Football and Education Lead at Derby County Community Trust, said: “The standard across the trials was exceptionally high, which we are excited about, and it shows that Derby County is regarded as a place for talented female players to come and develop and we are looking forward to seeing that come into fruition over the coming years.”
The youngsters’ 2023/24 seasons will get underway in early September and, in what is a new era for Derby County Women, it is set to be an exciting campaign for all concerned with Dave Cholerton once again playing a leading role in assisting with the Female Talent Pathway.
