NORTHERN's junior coaching set-up has been reaping rich dividends for years, under the tutelage of head coach Richard Vitty.
As well as producing national-standard school teams for Gosforth Academy, the ever-popular group coaching sessions has produced players such as current club No 1 Liam Gutcher, who spearheads Northern's challenge year after year in the Northumberland Premier League.
Vitty's school classes bring enthustiastic children from NINE Gosforth first schools - South Gosforth, Archbiship Runcie, Grange, Regent Farm, Broadway East, Gosforth Park, Brunton Park and Dinnington.
With the best 50 prospects attending two 'festival days' at the Gosforth-based club, up to 20 are then selected for a Thursday after-school mixed squash session.
When they reach middle school age, those players have the chance to qualify for the mixed Middle School Elite Squad - a group which produced the two teams, Gosforth East Middle and Gosforth Central, who finished first and second in this year's Newcastle Junior Schools Cup.
At 13 years-old (Year 9), the players are split into boys (Tuesdays) and girls (Fridays) Academy sessions - the coaching classes which feed the high-flying Gosforth Academy teams, boys and girls U15 and U19, with three of those teams taking part in the national finals in Manchester this year and one (Boys U19) falling at the final hurdle after a nailbiting 3-2 defeat to Yorkshire champions Ilkley Grammar School.
