2:48pm Thursday 10th May 2007
By Rachel O'Connor
APPLICATIONS have started to come in from young untapped footballing talent hoping to get the chance to travel to America and have trials with David Beckham's new club LA Galaxy.
Following on from the visit to LA of Guiseley AFC twins Ben and Tom Wilkinson family friend Wayne Priestley, who travelled with them to LA, made contacts with the Los Angeles based club.
He has now been asked to produce a squad of 14 players to take out to LA for two weeks. The players will be coached and viewed by LA staff over the two week period and the chance is there for them to either be of-fered contracts with LA Galaxy, be offered scholarships to American Universities or to be approached by other US teams.
The initial trip in July is not to be regarded as a one off as Oxenhope-based Wayne explained: "I have set up a company along with Gus Morrison from Rawdon specifically to organise trips to LA Galaxy, pos-sibly three times a year, to enable Galaxy to look at some of the raw young talent we have in this country.
"We just felt that with the influx of foreign talent into the British game many of our youngsters are not getting an opportunity to show what they can do.
"This connection with Galaxy will allow us to send them 14 players two or three times a year for them to look over in a prolonged trial.
"We will be running trials and will select 14 players to travel out to America at the end of July. At the moment players must be prepared to pay their own way but we are actively seeking sponsorship and so the cost may well be significantly reduced."
The open trials for 18-23 year-olds will be staged at Marley Sports Centre in Keighley on Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3, from 10am to 6pm.
Any players interested in taking part must get an application form online from www.rancelluk.com
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