Talk to many fans about the great Mariners teams of the 1980s and they will wax lyrical about the likes of Tony Ford, Kevin Drinkell and Paul Wilkinson because there is something extra special about a home-grown hero. Currently we have a new crop and who knows where the cream of those may take us yet? And in the future? Inevitably, more diamonds will emerge and indeed may, as I write, already be learning their trade in the Grimsby Town School of Excellence.

Clearly there is a need for a School of Excellence at a club like Grimsby Town for several reasons, the first and most obvious of which is that we simply don’t have the financial clout to bring in the finished article. Secondly this will always be a club that ultimately has to sell its best players, so it would be madness to let young local talent slip through the net and join another club, which would then reap the benefit. Thirdly, if we’re talking about a player of the calibre of John Oster, then £1m buys a lot of Corn Flakes and that sort of money is vital to Grimsby Town.

Lastly, and just as important, this is football we’re talking about, a sport that has no equal. It matters that we value how we build our club, how we build our players and how we display the pride and honour inspired by representing this magnificent club, to which we the fans devote our sporting lives. And sometimes, just sometimes, we experience success and how much sweeter it tastes when local lads are at the heart of it, for who better to represent who we were, who we are and what we want to be?

For the youngest boys, the starting point is being spotted playing for local Sunday league teams. The best are then invited to the skills centre, where the School of Excellence is able to develop the boys in training sessions before they are old enough to join the youngest team, the Under 9s. During the summer other boys are also invited for trials in front of several coaches, meaning that all the right lads should hopefully be captured.

The teams range from Under 9s to Under 16s, with each age group containing possibly the best fifteen players the local area has to offer, although as the years go by new boys may emerge. Each group has at least one coach, who dedicates himself to training his boys for two one and a half hour sessions a week, usually one outdoor and one indoor. Games are then played at the weekend against other School of Excellence teams from a geographic region which stretches north to Hartlepool, south to Boston & west to Bradford. Typically, around twenty competitive matches are played home and away each season, weather permitting.

At the start of every season, the youngest boys are invited along with their parents to an induction evening hosted by Neil Woods and Adam Smith, where they are introduced to the format of the School of Excellence and told what it will do for each individual boy. They are briefed as regards the expectations the Club has of the boys in terms of behaviour and how they are expected to represent the club. Contract forms are signed and each boy is issued with a players and parents handbook entitled “Youth Development”, which is written by the Football League. This book sets out the standards that are expected, including the importance of a good education, and has clear guidelines detailing what the Football League expects of the club. Both the parents and the boys sign forms agreeing to the terms contained within the handbook.

A great deal of credit should go to Neil and Adam for their willingness to provide the best possible environment in which the boys can prosper. During the season, the boys’ fitness levels and ability are tested in several categories and should a School of Excellence player suffer an injury, he has access to the Club physio. The lads are equipped with training kits and Club tracksuits, which they are expected to wear when travelling to games. All the teams’ travel to away matches is arranged by the Club, either by mini bus or coach, so the boys’ families do not have any financial contribution to make.

Match reports for each age group are printed in the Telegraph, the matchday programme and on the Club’s website every week and this excellent exposure ensures that anyone interested in local sport is kept well informed regarding all the School of Excellence teams’ progress.

Sometimes the better boys in each squad are invited to play for the next age group up, which offers them invaluable experience and allows the coaches to view them in a different environment to see how they adapt.

So keep an eye on the boys from the School of Excellence as they ply their young trade in those black and white shirts. Some are already building reputations for themselves, so much so that, as one of the coaches said recently, when Ryan Bennett and Andy Taylor are old seasoned pros, the likes of Jack Barlow, Harry Clifton and Max Wright could well be writing Grimsby Town history in the future.