IT was great to see Bury officially unveil the signings of five of their youth-team players on professional contracts this week.

As a former youth coach at Preston and now a scout for the Football Association, the progression of young talent through the pyramid system is something I am passionate about.

Working within that system, I have seen exactly where the problems lie and understand why some clubs in the lower leagues have given up trying to produce their own players.

It has been skewed by the lure of the big clubs, like Manchester United, City, Arsenal and Chelsea, who are cherry-picking youngsters from other academies at the age of nine.

Further down the line, you find these players are either quickly released and on the scrap heap by the age of 10, 11 or 12, or languish in huge development squads and never get anywhere near first-team football.

I have also seen another side of it where players who rise up through the ranks in the lower leagues are being denied the chance to move up the pyramid because of these youngsters in the top-tier development squads.

Rather than taking a punt on lower league talent, Championship clubs and lower-level Premier League sides are instead paying money for these development squad “stars”, only to find out they can’t hack it in senior football.

Having gone round the lower leagues and development squad matches looking at prospective England players, from U18s upwards, I know the game is brimming with young talent.

Unfortunately, they are not getting an opportunity to prove themselves at the top level. Harry Kane is the exception rather than the rule.

That is why it is great to see Bury put in a whole-hearted effort to start honing their own talent.

It makes perfect sense. Financially, it is cheaper in the long run to produce your own players, and they can become saleable assets.

You also find these lads have more of an affinity with the club, and they are accepted more readily by the supporters.

The only argument against it, like I said, is that the bigger clubs swoop whenever there is a buzz surrounding a young player.

But level-headed kids like Bury’s Jack Ruddy are becoming wise to that. The young keeper, who is one of the five recent recruits from the youth team, has apparently turned down offers from Premier League clubs because he sees a clearer route to the first team at the JD Stadium.

Failing that, maybe Bury should specialise in taking the kids who are released at 10, 11 and 12.

If you can restore their confidence, they won’t be so quick to leave in the future once a club like Bury has put faith in them.