STOURBRIDGE vice chairman Andy Bullingham spoke of his hopes for the club's new academy ahead of the next open day event.

The Glassboys have launched the scheme with partners Dudley College for male players wanting to take their first steps into professional football.

The academy will combine professional football training with a BTEC sports qualification, giving academy members a pathway into the professional game, whilst allowing them to develop broader skills that can lead to a range of sports related careers.

The next open day for interested players will take place on Wednesday, March 8 from 7pm to 9pm at the War Memorial Ground, Amblecote.

Bullingham said: "This is something we have been looking to do for the last three years without finding the right partners.

"The educational side of the project is a big factor to us and Dudley College will provide that. Only a small number of youngsters that join us will go on to make it in the professional game so we have to make sure the rest get a good education and have a CV they can take into the working community."

Academy members will study for up to two years for a diploma in sport coaching development and fitness, whilst combining regular training sessions and match commitments.

Stour have applied for a place in the National League under-19 Youth Alliance. They would play their football in Division I, the same league as Crewe, Kidderminster and Hednesford.

"We are lucky that we have made some money from the FA Cup this season but it's still difficult to produce the money you need to run a club at this level," added Bullingham. "One big help with that would be to produce more of our own players.

"Youngsters need a pathway through to the first team, which we hope the academy will help with. Gary Hackett (manager) is open to that and we have seen Brandon Hague come through this season.

"We won't run a lot of teams but will have just one academy side that we can put all our efforts into. It would be great to get a team into the National League Alliance and that would probably be a benefit of our recent high profile from the cup run."