Academy Director Arran Pugh has spoken at the start of EFL Youth Development Week as the league celebrates all that is great about the work of clubs like Exeter City, who work tirelessly to bring through the next crop of future stars.
With Youth Development at the heart of everything that Exeter City Academy does, Arran and his colleagues play a vital role in ensuring the club can reap the rewards from the next star who hopes to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ollie Watkins and Ethan Ampadu.
"What makes Exeter City special is the dedication to young players and young player development, so certainly one of the reasons I love working here is the because of the fan ownership community feel, but then also the opportunity that we give young players," Arran said.
"You look at players like Sonny Cox. Sometimes people forget how young he still is, we are so pleased with how well he has been doing this season. As a young player in a big league, sometimes you need the pressure off and he went of Yeovil and did really well.
"Since he came back from there it has been fantastic to see not only his goals, but the way he has improved his ability to really secure the ball into him and link the play really well. It's not common for under-19 players to be playing and scoring regularly at this level, so it's absolutely fantastic.
"The loan programme has been a massive benefit to the club and the academy over the years. A lot of the younger lads have unfortunately had injuries this season, but the ones that have stayed fit have had loans and have had some really good experiences of men's football.
"When they go and play in these big men's games, that's important for when they transfer from academy to first team.
"We have some really good links within local clubs that are playing at very competitive levels and we can trust that they give these players opportunities that help them as clubs but also help our players."
Hear the full interview from Arran ⬇️