DEAL Town are linking up with Deal Town Rangers and Castle Community College to create East Kent’s first Football Academy.

Starting in September, 30 talented 16-year-old footballers will begin a two-year course at the College leading to a BTEC National Diploma in Sport, which is equivalent to three ‘A’ Levels.

And while they are studying for the diploma the youngsters will also receive 12 hours of soccer coaching at the College every week under the guidance of the Academy’s head coach, former Charlton and Deal Town midfielder Paul Murray.

The Deal Town FC Academy, as it will be called, will also enter a team in the Under-19 Nationwide Conference Youth League and a reserve side in the Under-18 Valley Express Kent Youth League.

Murray, who was recently appointed as Deal Town’s first team coach, said: "Conference clubs like Stevenage Borough, Ebbsfleet, Welling Utd and Bromley have got youth teams in the Conference Youth League, and so the standard is obviously going to be pretty high. But the object of the Academy is to develop the good young players we have in this area, not just to win football matches, and the standard of the facilites available at the college and Deal Town are second to none."