Gillingham contract offers for youth players may be impacted on under-21 side decision - discussions continue

Decisions over which Gillingham youth players will earn professional deals could rest on whether the club have an under-21 team next year.

Since taking over as manager at the Gills, Neil Harris has talked about the need to bridge the gap between the first team and the youth sides, with an under-21/B team - but it’s not an overnight job.

The club will need extra space to train, additional players, staff and infrastructure. It’s an option that is now a real possibility financially, since the Galinson takeover, and while that’s being considered the youth players have had to be patient.

“It is ongoing,” said Harris, on the decisions over the second year scholars. “That is not a decision that just sits with me, that sits with Bryan Bull the academy manager and Mark Moss the academy coach, a thought process from the football board and certainly involving Brad (Galinson, the chairman) as to whether we move forward to an under-21s next year as to how many players will be taken on.

“All players, and youngsters as well, like to have a plan on what they are doing moving forward. We are being patient at the moment because we are building as a football club and trying to plan for next season with squad sizes, pitch space and things like that.

“While we are doing that the youngsters are being patient at the moment, with our decision making.”

It would be a big step for the club and one many other teams have already taken.

Harris said: “This is where someone like (former chairman) Paul Scally becomes key to us with his relationships and knowledge of local councils.

“We are talking about extension to training grounds or moving sites, things like that, if we want to house a 21s team, an under-18 set-up, an academy, a first team group. It