Darlaston Town are delighted to announce we intend to create a new Saturday team with the intention of playing within the West Midlands Regional League Division Two, subject to a successful application.

The club has worked closely with first team manager Dean Gill who’s idea of creating a new team will be to provide a commercially sustainable pathway for talented players to progress into the first team squad.

To set out and explain fully the idea and values of the new team we asked Dean to explain.

"We continue to strive to find ways to improve and raise our ceiling of potential and sustainability as a first team in the English non-league football pyramid.

It is my belief, as a club, we have topped out as a top 5, step 5 club over the last 24 months, we have achieved our aim which was to be in the mix for promotion by season 2025/26 when we were promoted to step 5 in 2021/22.

I never planned or expected to have the success we’ve had the last two seasons and as a consequence we have been paddling madly under the water to ensure the club and the team are as aligned as much as possible.

The answer to further success can’t ever be to throw unsustainable money at a first team and I’m proud that has not ever been the case in our three seasons at the club. We will continue to drive the club commercially but that has to be mirrored by smart sustainable development and recruitment of the right players than simply adding £500 + a week per season to stand still which is not sustainable and why many clubs yo-yo based on unsustainable financial decisions - that won’t ever happen at Darlaston Town.

To try and support our growth and success we have applied to enter a second Darlaston Town team into the Non-League Pyramid to start playing league football next season starting in August.

I have looked at under 21’s & 23’s football, however at our level (Step 4 and below) I believe them to be vanity projects as if you can’t play step 6, 7 or 8 at 18, 19 or 21 then I don’t believe they’ll ever be ready for step 3 or 4 or even 5 at 22, now this is my belief solely supported by the club, each club will have its own strategy which I respect.

If I remove Poddy and JJ from the equation, then our current first team average age is under 23 with the majority of the squad either 21 or under in age. Therefore, in my head Darlaston under 21’s and 23’s are our current first team so why would I replicate that playing more youth football.

It’s my view that step 3 or 4 players don’t walk out of youth football, there is a non-league apprenticeship that young lads need, and this is something over the next 3 years we’ll look to develop. Our aim in the clubs second team) will be to develop players of all ages to step into our 1st team not develop a team to win games at the detriment of players, it’s a concept that is slightly off with conventional logic but it’s a logic and strategy that my team and I have faith in and trust.

We have already started recruitment of the right people to fill certain positions, but we are still looking for people who believe in the above challenge. The project will come under the stewardship of my team and I and will mirror our standards and drive for success, therefore we are looking for the following roles to be filled in our new team for next season.

Committee Members
Matchday Volunteers
Football Management
Players

Can interested persons contact confidentially - Dean Gill using Deanngill@icloud.com or 07930 328570".