Cal Blankendal has been tasked with creating a long-term youth development programme at North Village Rams.

Blankendal has been named as the Premier Division club’s youth technical director with responsibility for ensuring that Village “offers an environment that creates a positive culture and promotes player development in an atmosphere of sportsmanship and teamwork”.

Stephen Coddington, the North Village president, said that the club was thrilled to have secured Blankendal’s services.

“I am very confident that Cal’s professionalism, experience and love for the game will make him successful in the role of youth technical director,” he said.

Blankendal said that he was attracted to the role by the possibilities it brought on and off the field. The former Bermuda Football Association vice-president is returning to a more hands on role, and said that the club’s coaching staff had played a big part in his decision to join Village.

“North Village is one of Bermuda’s leading clubs and offers a fantastic opportunity to work in a very progressive environment,” he said. “The current coaching staff is very open minded and dedicated. They were eager to encourage me to come on board and that was a key factor in having accepted the job offer.”

Blankendal’s influence will extend beyond the pitch, with player education also a big part of his new role over the next three years. He will also be charged with identifying and training his replacement as the club look to create a succession plan for the future.

“We will establish a coaching syllabus and integrate educational programmes relating to football, academic learning and life skills,” Blankendal said. “The main objective is to create a consistent model to assess, coach and challenge both the players and coaches during the next three years.

“On a personal level, it would be a fantastic accomplishment to see a core documented club style of play across all age groups. In addition to that, I look forward to training a future youth technical director within North Village, to create a pathway of internal promotion and succession planning for the future.”