Guiseley AFC will be holding an open day for potential new Academy players on December 20th prior to the first team game against Leamington FC.

Held in the clubhouse at Nethermoor between 11am and 12.30pm, there will also be free entry available to the first team game afterwards.

We are very proud of our current academy set-up and hope to grow our youth department in line with our planned off-field developments. One player to benefit from our set-up is AFC Bournemouth youngster Ben Whitfield, who played for both the Academy and the first team before moving to the Championship club.

"I'm at AFC Bournemouth because of what the Guiseley Academy did for me," Ben said.

"They helped me with my education and also allowed me to play football to a high standard. I wouldn't hesitate in joining and would recommend going down to Saturday's open day."

With the Lions, young footballers will have the following:

- Training time of between eight and 10 hours with UEFA qualified staff.

- Top-class training facilities with access to conditioning and physiotherapy.

- The chance to compete in the Football Conference Youth Alliance and the FA Youth Cup.

- Education opportunities, including Btec Sport Level 3 and A levels with our education partners Shipley College and Benton Park High School – both of whom have proven track records in teaching and learning.

- Proven record of players moving into professional football and semi-pro football.

- The chance to follow in the footsteps of a number of Academy players who have played for Guiseley AFC’s first team.

- As a club we have excellent links with Higher Education providers in the UK as well as US College Scholarship providers.

- We are also in the final stages of planning a stadium improvement with the addition of new community facilities.

David Currie, Head of Youth Development, said: “As a club we hold the Academy in very high regard – the lads involved are truly the lifeblood of the club.

“The coaching staff work tirelessly to progress our players as footballers by creating a demanding yet supportive environment that allows them to express themselves.

“We encourage our players to reach their academic potential and become well-rounded individuals; to achieve this we have built strong relationships with our educational partners.”