Jamie Vardy's initiative to help non-league players be given a chance in the professional game, as he did, is being backed by some of the biggest names in the game. The Leicester City striker has set up the V9 Academy to give players in non-league football the chance to be discovered, and his efforts will be broadcast by Sky Sports, it has been announced.
Over 1,500 have already applied for just 42 places on the course, which will be hosted by Manchester City's Etihad Campus and has been endorsed by some of the most respected names in the game, including Dan Ashworth, the Football Association's Technical Director, and senior figures across the Premier League and Football League. Sky will film the five-day residential course and produce a fly-on-the-wall documentary.
Vardy was rejected by Sheffield Wednesday as a teenager and rebuilt his career after dropping down into non-league football with Stocksbridge Park Steels before climbing up the pyramid with Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town before Leicester City paid a non-league record £1 million for 29-year-old in 2012. Vardy went on to help City win the Championship title before scoring 24 goals last season as City won the Premier League crown, and his performances led to an England call-up and have earned him several individual awards, including being shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon d'Or.
Former City head of recruitment Steve Walsh, who had monitored Vardy's progress in non-league before convincing City to sign him, believes too many talented players are lost early in their careers. "For far too long in this country we disregard talent at too young an age," said Walsh, who is now the director of football at Everton. "The development line that Jamie took going back to the real, earthy stuff of non-league proved that it can be a breeding ground for those who still have development in them.
Ashworth said Vardy is a classic example of how players form non-league can develop in the professional game if given the chance. "I have always been supportive of a system that can breathe, something where players may come in and out but still end up playing at the top level - this idea from Jamie and V9 gives some players just that opportunity," Ashworth said.
Former City striker Les Ferdinand, who is now director of football at Queens Park Rangers, also came through the non-league pyramid and is backing Vardy's project. "Ian Wright, Stuart Pearce and John Barnes were all my team-mates when I was playing at international level for England, and we all started in non-league football," Ferdinand said.
