Former Leeds United head of foundation recruitment Gavin Hayes says he will utilise his current local player network in his new role as Farsley Celtic academy’s new head of recruitment.
Hayes’ initial priorities also include understanding Farsley’s club culture because he believes “local talent is the bread and butter of the academy”.
“When I was at Leeds, my priority was: the best player in Leeds had to play for Leeds United,” stated Hayes.
“When I was at Everton, my priority was to get the best kids from under the noses of the likes of Leeds, Huddersfield and the Manchester clubs – Leeds then headhunted me.
“It’s important the majority of the players are from the local area because they’ll play with more pride and passion.
“There’s a culture. Whether that’s the fan base or long-standing committee members.
“I’ll open my network to the club as well. Whether it’s players who have been released or players who have been missed, providing them a platform through the club and hopefully leading to selling the player”.
Success is ‘glory’ according to Hayes who is excited at the opportunity within the Celts Academy.
“[The objective is] finding out where the success has been coming from of recent and then capitalising on that,” stated Hayes.
“My first job is to meet everyone at the club, understand their roles, understand their opinions on where they want the club to be, whether it’s players, they want help bringing personnel in, any type of events, tournaments etc. Whatever they want support with.
“I’m driven by glory and anywhere there’s a chance to make something better, that’s where I thrive”.