Andrew Bascome is relishing the opportunity to reignite Bascome FC and finally get the franchise up and running.

After originally being launched at the beginning of 2020, the team were accepted into the United Soccer League Two, a development league for Major League Soccer, and were due to compete in the seven-team Mid-Atlantic Division.

But owing to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, Bascome was forced to take the difficult decision to withdraw from the league and defer participation.

Fast forward a little more than two years and Bascome FC finally look set for their first competitive action, albeit not in USL League Two as originally planned.

Instead, three youth teams will take part in the prestigious USL Academy Cup, which kicks off in Florida in March.

“It’s great and really exciting that something looks to be getting up and running again,” said Bascome, director of football and head coach.

“We’ve been accepted into the USL Youth Academy Cup, so we will be taking three teams aged under-13, under-15 and under-19.

“There is a possibility that we will be taking a contingent of around 60 youngsters at the same time over to Florida, which is amazing.”

Despite having to shelve plans to compete in USL League Two, Bascome is hopeful the existing plan will lay the foundations to ultimately fulfil that ambition.

“We had some big plans originally with the USL League Two but now we are aiming to focus on going through the youth teams avenue first and then as they grow and develop, we know exactly what we have and players have that experience,” he added.

“From there we will look at the possibilities of the USL League Two again and hopefully be able to create a team from the players that have come through the youth teams.

“We’re looking to first establish the academy teams and then we’ll look at the senior team because hopefully a lot of the under-19 players can gain that experience and then look to progress into the senior team.

“Getting accepted into the USL Academy Cup is a fantastic opportunity and so that is my focus now, getting ready for that.”

Bascome is keen to highlight the opportunities on offer, both on and off the field, for his young players in the United States, particularly with the incentive of possible college scholarships.

“These events are attended by the top college coaches as well as USL and MLS coaches, so it is a great opportunity to put our young players in the shop window,” he said.

“However, for me, education remains key. It is all about being able to marry the two together, education and sport, and that is what we have to get across to these young players.

“That’s where I see the direction of this programme going. I’m a big believer in education and I believe if we can show these guys that while sport may not pay you directly, you can gain a lot from it and particularly through education.

“If these guys can get a full scholarship or even part-scholarships, they can take that and move forward in the future.

“I know a lot of people focus on becoming professionals but at the very minimum I want to create an environment where these guys could possibly get an education, and then if they have the fire in their belly to keep pursuing the sport, then so be it.

“It’s a long-term project and hopefully five or so years down the line we will have gone some way to completing our mission and aims for the franchise academy.”