BURNLEY have appointed former defender Vince Overson as Head Of Youth Development and Centre Of Excellence manager as they seek to establish an Academy.

Overson will oversee all youth football played at the club, from under-nines to the under 19s, and also aid the development of young players.

The 42-year-old, a fully qualified coach with a UEFA 'A' License, has been working as a regional coach in local schools with the club's award winning Community Programme over the last few years.

Overson, who also took charge of the club's under 15s team, said: "I'm very proud to have got this position.

"It is a step-up in coaching for me and a higher standard of coaching too, so I can't wait to get started.

"I will be working with the Youth Team right through to the under nine's team, liaising with the various coaches of all the teams at the Centre Of Excellence and helping the progress and development of the club's younger players.

"I will also be overseeing the recruitment of younger players and striving to see improvement in the players and in the coaching, while reporting to the management on the progress.

"Ideally, we want Academy status at the club and that is the standard that we are aiming for in the long term at Burnley Football Club."

As a player, Overson came through the ranks at Turf Moor in the late 1970's and was part of the squad which won the old Third Division title in the 1981/82 campaign.

He later played for Birmingham City and Stoke City before returning to Burnley in 1996.

Overson, who made over 250 appearances for the Clarets in those two spells, begins his new role next Monday.