WANDERERS are going global… but this is no talent-spotting exercise.

The Premier League glory days may be gone for now but that has not stopped an upturn in the number of Bolton shirts spotted on the streets of Colombia, Sweden, Italy, Kenya, Canada, Australia, even China.

The reason? A unique exchange programme born out of late chairman Phil Gartside’s controversial Institute of Sport, which has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months.

The International Football Programme (IFP) has been in existence since 2007 but since being taken on by the club’s successful Whites Hotel, has had a fresh lease of life.

Few around the Macron talk about Gartside’s IOS vision with any great affection, particularly in light of the club’s recent financial troubles. A well-meaning blend of sporting environment and educational facility, its results were mixed. Too many fans viewed it as a ‘vanity project’ of the former regime, endemic of the fact Wanderers took their eye off football during their decline.

Indeed, the idea of ‘furthering the international brand’ will already have eyes rolling in some quarters.

The difference with this venture, however, is that it has been taken on board entirely by the hotel, which was purchased by the club in 2013.

Back then, some raised their eyebrows at the fact a seven-figure fee had been passed on to the previous owners De Vere for total control of the business but the decision is looking better with each passing year. Under the stewardship of general manager Suzanne Speak, the hotel is thriving, which is not something you can say of many things at Wanderers of late.

The IFP involves a coaching programme, led by Danny Clark, being delivered aboard on the proviso they return to stay at the hotel for another training camp within six months.

It is a most profitable exercise. Exact figures are being kept under wraps but they appear to be second only to season ticket sales as a revenue stream.

Wanderers are also one of few clubs in the UK able to offer this kind of deal. The hotel and hospitality adjoining the stadium is owned by the club, as is the training ground just a stone’s throw away.

Moves have already been made to cater for the more “exclusive” guests – with the Reflections Bar now used only by the visitors who prefer to stay away from the public eye.

To name drop for a moment, Germany’s Under-21 team visited only last week and were so impressed with the set-up, they have hinted a future international could be staged at the Macron.

Other guests are much happier to mingle. Half a dozen first team players are currently based at the hotel and have been only too happy to oblige with a photo and an autograph to the international visitors.

Wanderers are one of only a handful of clubs who are working with the Chinese government to deliver training and coaching packages on their doorstep, drafting in the help of ex-pros Brian O’Neil and Paul McKenna. And though attempting to tap into that enormous market is nothing new in football, the club are able to offer a more personal touch than the Premier League elite. It has also been suggested to me that foreign visitors feel safer away from the urban sprawl of Manchester – so one up for Bolton!

The direct IFP’s impact on Phil Parkinson’s side will be negligible and the aim of the exercise is not to find the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic or James Rodriguez. But should its trajectory continue, it could go a long way to healing the financial wounds of the club which owns it.

Money is already bleeding through to Lostock. Indeed, the need to maintain a top-class training facility, preserving the IFP’s appeal, might have played a part in the Whites’ decision to maintain Category Two. The knock-on benefits of a ‘tourist trade’ to the surrounding area, especially Middlebrook, are also considerable.

Intriguingly, a decision will soon be taken about overseas streaming and whether Football League clubs could profit from individually-negotiated deals. Making friends abroad has never been this important.