CHELSEA FOUNDATION TO HOLD TRIALS FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

This season the Chelsea Foundation will host the Surrey FA Player Development Centre for aspiring footballers with a range of disabilities, and will be holding trials this October.

Licensed by the FA, the centre will support talented young footballers from across the county and will be based at the club's Cobham training ground. Anyone aged between 12 and 16 is welcome to take part in the trials, which will take place on Friday 12 October.

The centre has been set up to develop individual players and should be seen as an additional playing opportunity for disabled footballers who already represent a club.

Boys and girls in schools years 8 to 11 who boast a high playing ability are eligible for the Centre so long as they qualify for one of the FA's national impairment squads. These include amputees, players with cerebral palsy or learning disabilities and deaf or visually impaired footballers.

'With the set-up of our new Player Develop Centre, the Chelsea Foundation can now boast a disability pathway from grassroots and community level right through to Centre of Excellence level,' said centre manager Pam Chandler.

The Chelsea Foundation has joined forces with the Surrey FA to host the Centre at Cobham following the success of the Cerebral Palsy Centre of Excellence which opened last year.

The purpose of the CP Centre of Excellence programme is to identify players with Cerebral Palsy who have outstanding ability and place them in a technical programme designed to produce footballing excellence.

The CP Centre of Excellence has helped the personal development of these players and acted as a pathway into National Development and Elite Cerebral Palsy Squads. It caters for two age groups, Over 16s and Under 16s, and sees players training on Sundays at Cobham.

Last month, 30 talented footballers attended trials to become members of the Centre of Excellence and many of them will now represent the Chelsea FC Foundation and south-east region in the National CP League, as well as take part in the National Cup at St George's Park in April 2013.

'We are expecting a lot of interest in our inclusive centres off the back of the Paralympics, which were a huge success. That has already shown during the trials for the CP Centre of Excellence,' said the Chelsea Foundation's Football+ officer Rob Seale.

'This season we have the most comprehensive structure in place to welcome the next generation of England and GB players through our doors and we're really excited about hosting the Player Development Centre at Cobham. Now we want to see plenty of talent on display when we hold the trials in October.'

Please contact us on the following email address to register your place: pam.chandler@chelseafc.com.