Originally Published 01 August 2003

Gifted young people studying at the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth's Summer School at the University of Warwick will be the among the first to use a new simple but effective training aid designed to train up the next generation of UK soccer stars.

The students will gather with the equipment on Tuesday 5th August 2003 at 10.30am at Westwood Campus, University of Warwick, when they will team up with Coventry Sky Blues football hero Steve Ogrizovic at the launch of the new system developed by scientists that trains footballers from grassroots to professional level to score more accurately.

The Technical Development Ring (TDR) came about when Birmingham based Sports Systems Ltd approached Innovation-Direct, a free consultancy service for West Midlands based SMEs, to help develop the system that helps youngsters achieve their full sporting potential. The unique system provides training in the 7 key areas football players need to build upon: balance, touch, pace, passing, concentration, vision and stamina.

The equipment can be used by up to three players at any one time. The player(s) are placed in a ring and have to react to randomly called numbers from a pre-determined voice programme with differing levels of speed. Even professionals cannot beat the TDR, as after mastering one level a new harder one can always be set. It allows for continual testing of skills and accuracy, as required by any match situation.

The TDR has already been bought by Southampton FC Youth Academy and has been successfully piloted at a number of professional clubs across the UK, including Coventry FC, Aston Villa FC, Birmingham FC, and it has been praised by Dave Richardson, Director of Youth, for the UK's Football Association Premier League.

Steve Ogrizovic, Academy Director of Coventry FC said: "Warwick is leading the way when it comes to coaching and educating young football players. We all want to see more young footballers maximise their potential and perform at the highest level they can attain, and the system will help ensure talented youngsters have the facilities they need to improve their skills, and help them compete with the very best."

"The Coventry City squad has shown interest in the TDR because of the flexibility of training methods available, and because the development of training is limitless. Not only could it make all the difference when it comes to penalty shoot outs and scoring, but our physiotherapists also found that the TDR is an excellent way of rehabilitating players who have been out of action through injury."

	NAGTY pupils with the training aid
	Training with the equipment

Contacts: Peter Morrison, Director, Sports Systems Ltd, Mobile: 0797 353 0519, Tel: 0121 328 4889 Jenny Murray, Communications Office, University of Warwick, Tel: 02476 574 255, Mobile: 07876 217740

For details of location see: The event will take place at the all weather pitches on Westwood Campus (See Car Park 13), University of Warwick, Coventry, at 10.30am prompt. For directions and campus map see: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/about/maps/westwood.html