Burnley FC take talent search Down Under

Thu 7th Oct 2010 | Football Club Management

Burnley Football Club has appointed a new Head of Youth Australasia as the club spreads its net ever further in the search for the best young players.

Perth-based Paul Wozny will be the Clarets' youth representative in Australia, Oceania and south-east Asia.

The British-born coach already runs coaching and development programmes in Western Australia and will now direct promising players to Turf Moor for potential recruitment to the club's youth set-up.

"A lot of British clubs have representation in that part of the world and this is a good way for us to do a similar thing. We are just trying to finds another potential source," said Burnley FC's director of youth Martin Dobson.

"Paul is ideally suited for the role. He knows the standard we are looking for and there is the possibility now of sending promising players, who have the right qualifications, over to us to see how they compare with their particular age group."

Yorkshireman Wozny coached at Huddersfield Town's Academy and the centre of excellence at Bradford City in the mid-1990s before emigrating to Australia.

After working for Perth Glory, the 46-year-old, who holds a UEFA 'A' coaching licence and FA Academy Manager's Licence, has since worked his way up to the top of youth coaching in Australia.

Wozny has held posts as the head of the country's National Training Centre and most recently as High Performance Consultant for Football West.

Over the past two years he has also established a number of High Performance Centres throughout Western Australia, including two in Perth, and planned new centres in Malaysia and Singapore are due to open early in 2011.

They are being designed to act as a talent development programme for Burnley - following a similar system Wozny experienced being operated by Dutch club Ajax in South Africa when he was studying for his Academy Manager's Licence.

"The football business is now truly global and Asia with its desire, large playing numbers and infrastructure is without doubt a 'sleeping giant," Wozny said.

"I am confident that Burnley Football Club can experience similar gains to Ajax's presence in South Africa and this development will not only increase brand exposure for the club but will open up potential pathways for some exceptional talent.

"My role as Head of Youth Australasia is a very exciting prospect and I am looking forward to building a long lasting link throughout Asia on behalf of Burnley Football Club."

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