Former City players join forces with Sky Blues to spread the club's scouting net
Coventry City Football Club have joined forces with the Coventry City Former Players Association (CCFPA) to bolster the club's nationwide player scouting network.
The CCFPA currently have more than 200 former players on their membership list, a large chunk of whom have offered to act as scouts around the country in a bid to help the club spot the latest up and coming talent.
Former City icons such as Ian Wallace, Roy Barry, Keith Houchen, Don McKay and Colin Stein will be getting out into their local areas to help spread the wings of the club's current scouting network.
Sky Blues development director Steve Waggott says the exercise will be a great way to further strengthen the relationship between the club, its former players and the CCFPA while at the same time keeping City's finger on the pulse in terms of young talent in grassroots football.
"The football club was fortunate enough to be graced with the talents of these former players during their playing career so for them to continue to contribute to its future is great news," Waggott said.
"These former players are based all across the UK and Ireland so for the club to be able to have an eye in all four corners will be hugely beneficial.
"It goes without saying that we are hugely grateful for the commitment and support from the CCFPA and their former player members who are giving up their time to try and make sure the club has a bright future on the pitch."
Sky Blues boss Steven Pressley added he was also hugely encouraged by the prospect of the expansion of the club's scouting network, something that will help club scout Graham Brown identify potential stars of the future.
"I was a former player here so to see former team mates and players that have represented the club both before and after my time here as a player working together with its best interests at heart is fantastic news," Pressley said.
"We are always competing with other clubs to find the latest young talent and we want to utilise all resource available to create as detailed a scouting network as we possibly can.
"To have the help and opinions of some of the finest players to have put on the City shirt will help us and Browny massively and I want to thank them, and the Former Players' Association, for their efforts."
CCFPA Vice Chairman Billy Bell also expressed his excitement at the arrangement and said it would just be the start of things to come.
"It was an idea originally raised by our former player member Chris Cattlin and Steve Waggott and the football club have embraced it," he said.
"We're starting off with 18 former players but we're confident that number will swell between now and the start of next season.
"It's the players' way of showing their love for Coventry City and the great time they had playing here and from the CCFPA's point of view it's a joining of forces with the football club which we're really excited about."