SWINDON Town legend Fitzroy Simpson is launching a revolutionary training programme, using Swindon and the surrounding area as the flagship centre, as he looks to develop the stars of the future for the Robins.

Simpson, who played more than 100 games for Town in the early 1990s, has worked hard to bring the Soccer Matrix system, used by several Premier League academies, to the region.

And he hopes the Matrix - a sensory tool that notes and logs every touch a player makes in order to identify strengths and weaknesses - will help produce a new crop of talent at the County Ground in years to come.

Simpson is hugely passionate about the continued progression of youth football in Swindon, having himself come through the ranks under Lou Macari almost 20 years ago.

And the lad from Melksham who made it all the way to the World Cup with Jamaica in 1998 is desperate to do what he can to give the next breed of young footballers the chance to succeed.

“I’m being selfish,” he said. “It’s coming to Swindon and the surrounding areas first for obvious reasons but we anticipate, with the interest we’re getting, it could go as big as you want.

“Hopefully I’ll be doing Swindon Town a big favour because if we can develop them early, they will go straight to the County Ground first.

“I’ve tried before with young Mark Marshall, giving him a go down at the Town, and I’ve got other young players there who hopefully under my guidance can get their chance.

“If we can get one or two or three or four, anyone through the system into the Swindon Town senior side then it’s a win, win, win for me.”

Simpson has tried out the Matrix system for himself, and revealed those with a competitive personality can become addicted to bettering themselves.

And the programme is still helping the former Robins man improve his own game, albeit a little late to make an impact on the pro arena.

“You’ll find, once you get into the Matrix itself if you’ve got a competitive nature, it can be obsessive,” he said.

“It’s all for developing – to be the best you can possibly be or give yourself the chance to be the best you can possibly be.

“Nobody’s going to say it’s going to make you the next Cristiano Ronaldo but you’ll have better satisfaction “It’s reaching out to everybody, boys and girls, to just develop.

“It gives you a chance to think. When you’re playing, once the facts are there, you can see for yourself. There’s no hiding place.

“I’ve been on it a few times and I’ve enjoyed it. I want to go back on it again.I’m so competitive I just want to beat my scores.

“It is fun. You will enjoy it, there’s no question about it.”

The Matrix sessions are being run at Futsal in Kembrey Park from May 19.

Slots are available on a first come first served basis at present, and demand is expected to exceed supply at first.

However, Simpson is gearing up to take the Matrix farther afield, with Melksham mooted as a likely destination.

And the midfielder, who played top tier football with Manchester City, hopes young lovers of the sport will take up the chance to develop themselves on the latest piece of footballing technology.

“I’m excited to be launching it to and giving something back to the people of Swindon and the surrounding areas,” he said.

“We’re anticipating this moving quickly. We’ve got Futsal as the major sight at the moment but spaces are going quickly and we’ve got other sites around the area now.

“There is a deep passion about why I’m doing it. I’ve given up my free time when I came back from Spain to work with Clive Maguire down at the Stratton Community Centre just to give them a go.

“I want to be out there still just touching the ball.

“I’m out in the back garden with my kids, who are both at the Town and a lot of the boys I’ve seen from the scholarships down – they’re all my kids.”

For more details and to book a session on the Soccer Matrix, visit www.premier-coaches.co.uk.