Go Hammers

West Ham United have tapped the US market in an attempt to find the best young talent.

The club's new Football Academy USA website - opened recently - is seeking clubs with which to form partnership programmes in order to develop players capable of one day playing for the Hammers on the other side of the Atlantic in the Premier League.

The programme represents the club's first major foray into North America, a huge untapped market where football is likely to explode in the next few years.

Tony Carr and several members of his coaching team spent some time in Georgia last month giving lectures to local coaches and clubs. Topics on the agenda included 'Player Development - the West Ham way' and 'Fixing Common Team and Player problems'.

The Hammers are seeking two clubs, schools and colleges from each area with which to partner with. Interested parties can apply to join the scheme by visitng the US Academy's new website at whufc-usa.com.

Meanwhile the first product of the new scheme visited England last month to get a taste of life in East London.

14-year-old Cobb FC striker Jack McInerney, a member of the USA under-15 national squad from Alpharetta, Georgia spent a week with Carr and his staff gaining vital experience at Chadwell Heath.