PARENTS of young footballers in the area have been warned to be on their guard against scouts pretending to represent top-level football clubs after a couple of irregular approaches in the past weeks.

And police are to contact local FA officials to try to establish the circumstances surrounding two reported incidents over the past few weeks.

The incident that brought the issue to light involved Evesham United's under-12 team, where one player's parents were phoned by an individual who said he represented Aston Villa FC. He then went to their home to talk to them further abut their son joining a football academy in Bredon.

When the Under-12's manager Cliff Powell found out about this he contacted the Worcestershire FA and Aston Villa FC because it appeared to be a highly irregular approach for a player.

Satellite schools

As a result of the phone call to Aston Villa, he discovered they knew nothing about the man or his school in Bredon and said they do not run 'satellite schools and academies'.

Mr Powell said the normal procedure for scouting new players would be for a scout to approach club officials before speaking to any players or parents.

He said a scout from a bona fide club would have formal identification with them and would have been vetted by the Criminal Records' Bureau.

"If you get invited to any satellite soccer school, you can always check this out with the club and always ask up front what the cost is likely to be. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is," said Mr Powell.

"I believe that these people try to sell a dream and when they tell a parent that their child could be playing against the likes of Manchester United, they are sucked in."

"Most importantly you need to ensure that your child is safe and insured."

The incident is currently being investigated by the Worcestershire FA.

Inspector Steve Brooker of South Worcestershire police said one of his officers would be contacting Mr Powell for more information.