FORMER Walsall defender, Stuart Ryder is embarking upon an exciting new footballing adventure in his home city of Lichfield after setting up a Football Academy.

Soccer Excel aims to develop the skills and techniques of youngsters from as young as two in Lichfield and the surrounding areas. "It's always something that I have wanted to do, but it's been a question of finding the right time for me," said the cultured central defender who made over 100 appearances for The Saddlers. "Throughout my playing career I always saw 35 as the age when I would retire, but as it was, I hung my boots up in my early 30s.

"After leaving the game I went into sales, but my passion for football never wavered and this along with a burning desire to be able to pass on my experience and knowledge to those starting out in the game meant that this was a natural progression for me.

"I began planning the project last year and after leaving my job in April targeted a September launch.

"Initially we started with two-hour courses each weekday evening for children of Primary School age, but the demand was there for the younger age group and so 'Little Dribblers' was born.

"We now also run After School clubs each day of the week and a Goalkeeping School on a Saturday.

"My biggest challenge at the moment is finding people who share my enthusiasm and passion to coach youngsters and help with the ever-increasing workload.

"The whole ethos of the business is to have a positive effect on children, not only from a football perspective but also from a life perspective. I want to help kids fall in love with sport, promote a healthy lifestyle and enhance their confidence and self-esteem.

"We try to concentrate on the individual and in doing so help develop them into a more rounded player.

"I want to give a fresh approach to coaching in this city. I've taken part in so many different types of coaching session throughout my career and have adapted the best bits of each so that they are child-friendly, and more importantly, fun.

"When I was a youngster I never had the benefit of professional coaching."

Ryder broke into the Tamworth first-team at the age of just 16 before joining the Bescot Stadium youth ranks. "It was my first experience of men's football and I was surprised exactly how physical it was," he recalled. "I soon learned to give as good as I got and it wasn't long before I was signed by Walsall.

"My first memories of being here was of how professional everything was. We were given a list of chores to do around our football and the days were long and hard.

"I spent a year as a trainee then signed pro the following season. My debut came as a substitute at Barnet. The pace of the game was so fast, but the likes of Kevin Macdonald and Derek Statham helped me through those early games.

"We had a good dressing room; the older lads always encouraged us and kept us on our toes, which we needed from time to time."

After starting to establish himself in the first-team, a bout of Glandular Fever halted Ryder's progress. "It laid me low for around six months," he recalled. "During that time Kenny Hibbitt was replaced by Chris Nicholl and obviously he didn't get a chance to see me in action or training as I was working with the physio for most of the time.

"When a new manager comes in you always worry about what the future holds in store, even more so when you are on the treatment table when he first arrives.

"But one day Chris and I went for a walk around the pitch and I took an instant liking to him. He really helped to improve my game and as a former central defender himself, I looked up to him.

"He made me realise that coaches are not just there to train you and keep you fit. They are also there to teach and develop you as a person as much as a footballer.

"It's certainly something that has stayed with me and I find it fulfilling that I am now in a position where I can help make a difference to young players' lives."

Ryder's progression under Nicholl saw him earn a call-up into the England Under-21 squad for the Toulon Tournament in the summer of 1995 where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of David Beckham, Phil Neville and Julian Joachim. "We had earned promotion at the end of that 1994/95 season and the club took us abroad to celebrate," he went on. "It was when I got back that I received the news that I was being called up to replace the injured Jamie Pollock.

"It was a great honour but meant that I had to get match fit again, so spent the next couple of weeks frantically working hard in the gym.

"To go away with England was a fantastic experience for me. I couldn't believe how quiet and down-to-earth the other players were, though. They just wanted to play football and in Ray Harford had an excellent coach.

"I roomed with Phil Neville and the whole experience was something that I will never forget.

"My career was on a real high and I felt that nothing could stop me. All of a sudden a cowardly tackle in a reserve game brought me crashing back down to earth with a bump. I suffered a nasty knee ligament injury and with it the real prospect of never playing again, which was frightening.

"But if anything I am a fighter and a survivor. I stuck at the rehab and eventually got back into action."

By this time, Jan Sorensen had taken the reins and Ryder's involvement was restricted mainly to a place on the substitutes' bench before he was released at the end of the 1997/98 season and eventually joined Mansfield Town, where his days in The Football League were to end. "It was clear that I was not the player I once was when I came back from the injury and I started to question what I was doing and why," he admitted. "My career had been a roller-coaster ride of emotions but I loved every minute of it.

"I looked upon the injury as a challenge and I firmly believe that because of it I am a stronger person today.

"It took me ten years to return to the Banks's Stadium, but the place still means something to me. It brought back the buzz of driving into matches down the Broadway and running out onto the pitch to the cheers of the crowd.

"I always got on well with the supporters here and desperately want to see this club do well and prosper."

Stuart Ryder's Soccer Excel Academy is based at Lichfield Hockey Club. The Little Dribblers sessions take place at Esporta, Lichfield and the goalkeeping sessions are held every Saturday morning at Lichfield City FC.

For further details, log-on to www.soccerexcel.co.uk or call 07779 -757 593.