Burton Albion's academy has received another boost ahead of the 2017/18 season, with former Nottingham Forest and Republic of Ireland under-21 midfielder David Freeman's role at the club to become full-time.
Youth development phase lead coach Freeman joined the academy setup last year, and was originally part of the under-16s coaching staff.
But the former Ilkeston Town man has now moved into a full-time role - overseeing the development of players from the under-12s to under-16s age groups ahead of the new season.
The academy has made great strides since its inception in 2010, owing a great deal to the Brewers' Football League status and the club's remarkable rise into the Championship.
The news that St George's Park is to welcome all of Albion's academy age groups next season, and that Steven Gerrard's managerial debut will come against the Brewers under-18s this week, have put the academy in the spotlight.
They are reaping the rewards.
The likes of Joe Sbarra, Ben Fox, Marcus Dinanga and Tom Hammerton are training with the first-team and are likely to feature heavily in the upcoming friendlies. The same can be said for Matt Palmer, who has made more than 100 league appearances for Albion after graduating from the academy.
And Freeman has witnessed first hand the "great strides" the academy has made during his time there.
"I’m delighted to be involved, this is what I want to do - be involved full-time," Freeman told the club's website.
"It’s brilliant, in the time that I have been here the academy has made great strides.
"I think that if you look at the facilities we have across the academy and what we have at our disposal using St George’s Park and here at the Pirelli Stadium, it is a really attractive way of recruiting players and I think the academy is going from strength to strength.
"It (experience) helps a little bit because I have followed a path similar to the one that they are on and I know what is involved in terms of the hard work, dedication and the sacrifices that you have to make to get there.
"I am really going to enjoy helping them, passing on knowledge and if I can help them in some way then that will be brilliant."
Academy manager Dan Robinson, meanwhile, believes that Freeman's knowledge as a former professional will help the academy go from strength to strength.
“We are delighted to have Dave on board in a full-time capacity, his experience as a former professional and coaching with our academy last year will make him an invaluable addition to our team," he said.
