Spalding United’s development squad will make a leap up several levels and play in the Lincolnshire League next season.
Last season the side played as the reserves in Division Two of the ChromaSport Peterborough and District Football League, step nine of the non-league pyramid and five levels below the Tulips’ first team.
But next year they will play at step seven after being admitted to the Lincolnshire League.
Lase week its member clubs voted in favour of United’s side joining their ranks as well as the reserves sides of Cleethorpes Town and Grantham Town and Lincoln United’s Under 21s team.
Spalding Development Squad will acts as an U23s side and provide a step for the U18s and U21s who will also be joining the Lincolnshire FA U21s Development league.
Playing at a higher level will help bridge the gap of the levels played between the development squad and the Evo-Stik Division One East first team members.
Spalding’s development manager is Lewis Thorogood who is overseeing the new structure.
“It’s a bit of a restructure,” he said. “The idea over recent seasons has been to get the U21s filtering into the first team and that’s worked really successfully.
“We want to offer the development squad players the opportunity to play at the highest level possible.
“The pathway we’re providing is similar to professional football clubs.
“Having a reserves side these days is a bit of an old thing.”
“I think the Lincolnshire League will be a really good fit for the development squad, especially with the likes of Cleethorpes and Grantham sides in there.
“We’ll have players playing senior men’s football for the first time.
“Also, if there are first team players who need extra game time because they’re not in the first team squad or coming back from injury, they can get it with the development team at a decent level of football.
“The job of the development squad is to get players ready for the first team and if there’s different levels they can progress it will aid their personal development.
“It’s a good step forward for the club for all the right reasons.”
With the Tulips and Pinchbeck United’s first teams largely sharing the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Fields, the development squad will be playing their home games at Knights Road when that venue is not available.
“The league have been really understanding and accepting to facilitate that as normally you have to have one home ground,” Thorogood said.
The U21s will be playing in the midweek against team from Lincoln United, Cleethorpes,
Gainsborough, Skegness and Grimsby in matches at the Sir Halley Stewart.
Last season’s Reserves side didn’t have the best of seasons in the Peterborough League’s lower reaches but Thorogood is excited by many of the players coming through the ranks.
“It’s an exciting time for the club and for those players who are not quite ready for the first team these teams provide good stepping stones in their development.”
