Project Braver
Clyde FC is delighted to launch a revolutionary new programme, aimed at providing young players with a pathway for a career in and out of football.
Project Braver is being run in partnership with New College Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire Leisure, Advance Construction and Rock Regen. It gives young players an education or full-time employment alongside the chance to make it as a professional footballer, with a clear route from the under-23s through to the Clyde first team.
Successful applicants will be invited to a trial match, due to take place in June at Broadwood. This will be followed by a trial training session, which will be overlooked by experienced professional football coaches including representatives from The Catalan Football Federation.
A number of players will then be selected onto the course, when the club will sit down with each player and decide which pathway to choose i.e. education, trade etc. The player will then split his time between studying and working/training to become a professional footballer, as part of a newly formed Clyde under-23 squad.
Speaking about the launch of the new initiative, Clyde manager Danny Lennon said:-
“Our success as a footballing nation coincided with our football clubs being the heartbeat of our communities. Times have changed. For more than a generation, we have been steadily losing that connection that football affords a community and our standing in the beautiful game internationally has suffered.
“Project Braver is an exciting initiative that has a clear vision to connect Clyde FC with the local community, by helping to meet the needs of the next generation, using football as the focus.
“I wholeheartedly support this initiative and welcome it as a refreshing step forward.”
Former Clyde, Chelsea and Scotland player Pat Nevin has also added his backing to the programme. He said:-
“I was fortunate in my time at Clyde to be able to continue my studies and I always felt it helped me become a more rounded and confident individual. It also made me a better footballer; it relieved stress because becoming a full-time footballer was not going to be ‘all or nothing’ for me.
“Having a safety net, a back-up plan or the initial training for a post football career job is very important and, quite simply, plain sensible. Project Braver seems to be a great idea in every respect.”
To find out more about Project Braver, with details of how to apply for selection in the programme, visit the Project Braver section of the website.