FC Chippenham Youth is sending out an appeal for new players after seeing some of their talent snapped up by academies.

U12 manager Mark Vickers said the club is looking for new blood at all levels for boys and girls this season.

“There’s no particular reason for it,” he said. “Some of my lads have been taken by the Bath City academy and one or two have switched to rugby.

“But I think in general it is just the way things go.

“At U13 level we are quite a few short because some of the boys moved to Calne.

“At my level we are really looking for experienced players but we will accomodate anyone who comes along, the club’s ethos is to be all inclusive.”

He said the girls’ section is also keen to attract a lot of new players.

“We have teams at U16/17 and U13/14 but we haven’t got many at all at the other levels so we would love to see more come along.”

The U16/17 girls competed in the Bristol Women’s League last season and finished fifth in their division.

All of the FC Chippenham Youth age groups are managed by coaches holding at least the FA Level 1 Certificate and all are First Aid trained and CRB vetted. Training starts again in early August and prospective new players will be welcomed to train for a few weeks to see how they settle in. Contact the age group managers at: Boys: U7, Paul Smith, (01249) 445974 or 07801 864542; U9, Matt Slee 07903 183328; U12, Mark Vickers, (01249) 651751 or 07917 856779; U13, Richard Gernonn, 07966 259691; U14 , Becky Howell (01249) 783472, U18, Sean Huxtable 07826 311936.

Girls: U8-U10, John Murphy (01249) 816135; U14, Dave Jones (01249) 650403; U16/17, Mark Newton (01249) 814620.

More details on age groups and FC Chippenham Youth Football Club at www.clubwebsite.co.uk/fcchippenham youth/