Notts County's new chief executive James Rodwell has stated the importance of the club's Centre of Excellence.

The youth development project was re-established in the summer of 2008 after being axed two years previous.

Since then, great strides have been made, with a number of promising talents training with the first team squad.

17-year-old winger Nathan Fox even made his senior debut against Darlington earlier in the season after a string of fine performances for the under-18s.

With uncertainty lingering around Meadow Lane, following the takeover last week, Rodwell wasted no time in throwing his support behind the development of young talent.

He said: "I think the youth team is something that's incredibly important to us.

"In all honesty, I don't think that a club like Notts County can flourish without a youth set up.

"Fans want to see young players, young players have a re-sale value and they're generally not as expensive as imported players.

"Without wanting to sound like Whitney Houston, the children are the future."