Canterbury Youth have agreed a relationship with Canterbury City which will see them become the official feeder club for City.

The move creates a pathway from under-7s through to senior football and is a major development for football in the city.

Canterbury Youth chairman Dave Fulton said: “Canterbury has been crying out for a joined-up approach to its football.

“It makes no sense for our clubs to be in competition with each other for players, coaches and facilities, which only dilutes the quality of our offering.

“This arrangement will see Canterbury Youth manage all the junior teams from under-7 to under-18 whereupon they’ll feed into Canterbury City’s senior set-up.

“We will be working closely with our friends at Canterbury City FC to ensure they are as strong as possible on and off the pitch. Ultimately, we all want a City team playing in their own home, filled with home-grown players that the local community can be really proud of. This is the next step on that journey.”

City chairman Tim Clark added: “This is a big step forward in our community approach of all-inclusive football for the local district and the mutually beneficial relationship with Canterbury Youth FC is one that I am sure will be built on over the coming years as we continue in our quest for our new stadium back in Canterbury.”

Canterbury Youth runs boys and girls’ teams in the Kent Youth League, the East Kent Youth League and the Faversham and District Youth Football League.

They will be holding trials for next year’s under-18 (Kent Youth League), under-15, under-14 (Kent Youth League) and under-13 boys teams at the University of Kent this Wednesday between 6 and 8pm. If you want to be part of these trials or find out more about the club, please email youthdevelopment@cyfc.co.uk or visit the website at www.cyfc.co.uk.

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