Darren Jones is trying to shake-up junior football in Wales, with a new development programme branded under the name of Scottish giants, Celtic. But his new venture – and old school approach – appears to be causing tension within the existing powers, as Robert Wheeler reports.
Former Newport County captain Darren Jones believes Welsh football is missing out by not having a stepping stone between grassroots and academy level.
In response, Jones has created his own Newport-based development centre – Celtic South Wales (CSW) Elite FC, which boasts links to Scottish giants Celtic.
But he claims to have faced hostility from the established structures of junior football in his bid to attract players to his new venture.
Jones – who made over 100 appearances for County in three spells with the club – has accused local league club secretaries of sending emails warning players not to attend the new venture.
The South Wales Football Association (SWFA), which is affiliated to the Football Association of Wales (FAW), has denied sending out emails, but a spokesperson said they have reminded players that their rules mean they can only play for one club.
At present, CSW Elite FC offer no fixture list of matches and have denied they are seeking to play in the English-based Junior Premier League – an independent league for eight to 16-year-old that has no links to the official Premier League or their clubs.
Jones said: “At the moment we’re trying to get the message out to people that they can train with us and still continue to play grassroots.
“Grassroots is a great stepping stone for young Welsh footballers but there is a massive gap between grassroots and academy football.
— CSW ELITE FC (@fc_csw) August 29, 2019
“This is a void we are trying to fill. We’re still finding it pretty hard because people are still suspicious, people are still out there spreading that false rumour, but I think in time people will understand that we are only trying to help young players and will come around and start joining us.
“Basically, local league secretaries assumed we were going into the JPL in England so they consequently e-mailed the FAW and every grassroots club in South Wales telling them that they are not allowed to join us.
“Obviously, this really hampered us in recruitment as we were still at the planning stage at the time and we had already decided against it (joining the JPL) when the emails were circulated.”
But despite not joining the JPL, former defender Jones – who also played for Bristol City, Forest Green and Shrewsbury among others – is an admirer of the league and believes the Welsh football should take note.
“I think the Welsh FA should look at the JPL model and try and replicate it.
“In Wales, there is no middle ground from grassroots to academy football, so what is happening is there are over 500 players a week going across to England to play more competitive football, so something needs to be done here in Wales.
“The JPL is a proven successful format and many of its players move on to professional clubs, so why can’t we, along with the Welsh FA, introduce it into Wales?
“A three-tier system in Wales would accommodate each level of a young player’s development path and would only benefit our own Welsh Premier League clubs as well as our professional clubs.”
CSW market themselves on a link with Celtic and their branding is green and white with a prominent four leaf clover.
Their also claim a “clearly defined coaching philosophy” that some might describe as old-school, or at least at odds with much of modern coaching philosophies that have entered the mainstream.
Jones added: “I teach real football. I’ve noticed in academies their players can’t pass a ball 25 yards, they can’t do what Football League clubs need them to do.
“So, what I try and do with my boys is teach them not to become a Premier League player, because the chances of that happening are something like 0.01%.
“I try to be realistic. If you can get into the Football League or even the National League, then it’s a good living, a good career.”
Playing out from the back is the fashionable way to do coach nowadays but Jones is sticking to his way of playing.
“I might be a bit old-fashioned but I would rather my team win every game and be terrible than look amazing and lose every week.
“If everybody in the football game was honest they would say that as well. At the end of the day, you want to win regardless of how it takes, or what it takes.”
After a brief spell as manager of Chepstow, Jones says he still has the drive to one day work full-time at senior level.
“That is my ambition. I’m working for a B Licence now, as soon as I get that in a couple of months, I’ll go straight on to my A Licence and with that, hopefully, manage in the Football League.
“I believe in myself, my style of coaching, and I back myself 100%. I’ve never been relegated, I am a winner and I like to think I can take that into my coaching and become a good manager.
“But for the moment, I’ve been getting a lot more joy and success with the kids.”
He is also keen to resolve any fraction between his new programme and the existing set-up for Welsh junior football.
“We’d love to be able to work with them. At the end of the day, we are trying to improve players in Wales, we are on the same page as them, so I don’t want to be a threat to anybody.
“I don’t want to step outside guidelines and rules, they are there for a reason. We want to produce better footballers in Wales so they go on to play for Welsh clubs and the national team so we can get further than we have got in the past. But to do that we have all got to work together.”