Leading car dealership Bristol Street Motors has agreed to support Redditch United Football Academy for a second successive year.

The announcement came ahead of the club’s open evening held earlier this week to roll out information ahead of next year’s September intake.

Lewis Murrall, Sales Manager at Bristol Street Motors, said the opportunity to help youngsters combine their sport and studies was a reason for backing the academy.

“We were impressed with the idea of helping some of the guys who maybe didn’t perform too well at school, giving them the chance to work to a qualification which could ultimately be at degree level,” he said. “It is good that the sports side and the education side play off each other.

Despite being a rather big company we have a base in Redditch and we want to support local initiatives, especially one that keeps guys in education a little longer which in turn will hopefully benefit them in later life.

This is an ideal opportunity for us to get involved with the local community.

Two of the lads who were involved last year have been signed up by the first team and that’s really satisfying particularly when you consider that these are 16 and 17-year-old lads who are being given the chance to play mens football.”