BOSS Steve Cuss believes Wimborne Town’s ambitious plans to launch an academy in September will give the first team a huge boost.

Magpies hope to provide a full-time academic course and football programme for youngsters aged between 16 and 19.

Both elements will take place at Cuthbury with the club keen to secure a minimum of 20 teenagers who could, potentially, end up in the senior men or women’s teams.

A full-time coach will be recruited to work closely with Cuss within the academy, which has been partially funded by prize money from Wimborne’s FA Trophy run this season.

Cuss told the Daily Echo: “We feel that this is the right way to go in terms of attracting players and giving them the opportunity to develop. The hope is that after two or three years, they will come into our first team.

“We’re keen to move the club as a whole forward and there is two ways you can do it. One is to throw all the money in at the top end, have highly-paid players and try to move up the leagues, while another is to get an infrastructure at the bottom and allow a little bit of time to develop.

“With my coaching background, that’s the route I’m keen to take, although that’s not to say we’re not going to sign experienced players, we still want to do that.

“But if we can develop players within our own set up and give ourselves options then that will be very encouraging. If we can have a bigger pool of young players, it can only help us.”

Cuss, who holds the role of head of community at AFC Bournemouth, feels that Wimborne’s proposed academy could flourish.

He continued: “AFC Bournemouth have access to top-end elite players who they offer academy places to but they also release players.

“There will be one or two players who have been released from pro clubs such as AFC Bournemouth that would like to continue their football education, albeit at a lower level.

“The academy forms a big basis of the plans and aspirations that Wimborne have got.”

  • Wimborne travel to Dorchester in the semi-final of the Dorset Senior Cup tonight.