A Premiership football scout has set up a soccer centre in Bicester hoping to find the sports stars of the future.

Paul Lloyd, of Bure Park, Bicester, is a youth development coach for Premiership side Reading Football Club and also works as an academy scout.

Last month, the 37-year-old launched Bicester Soccer Centre, at Cooper School, in Churchill Road, to develop youngsters' skills.

He said: "It's not like your average soccer skills. I'm a UEFA licensed coach teaching technical skills to young children.

"If I see any potential, I send them to Reading for a trial. I run through a proper 10-week programme. I don't just throw a few cones around.

"I would like to try and get a bit more technical skill in their game, basic passing and basic control right up to shooting and three versus three."

The former Oxford City player, who set up the centre with colleague Steve Crooks, said one of his success stories was nine-year-old Charlie Hawtin.

Mr Lloyd spotted Charlie while he was playing for Bicester Town Colts and sent him to Reading where he signed for the club.

Mr Lloyd, who used to run a football development centre at Peers School, in Littlemore, Oxford, hopes to see more homegrown talent in the Premiership and Championship leagues.

He said: "There are a lot of foreign players in the Premiership now. That's because the English players are not showing enough technical skill."

The soccer centre, which has about 60 boys on its books, has sessions for under-sevens and under-nines on a Monday afternoon, and under-eights and under-10s on a Friday.

To find out more, email: bicestersoccer@fsmail.net or call 07999 570369.