PARTICK THISTLE have launched their search to land stars of the future.

The Irn-Bru First Division outfit will run courses from next Monday until Friday at the Firhill Complex, giving aspiring youngsters the chance to train and play under the club's youth coaches.

Players will be split into four age groups between five and 14-years-old and receive 20 hours of football-based activities, a stadium tour and a ticket to see Jackie McNamara's side.

The courses were a big success last year, and general manager Ian Maxwell hopes Firhill stars of the future relish the chance to enhance their skills.

"Ideally, we would like to see someone who comes in eventually playing for the first team," he said.

"It starts them on the road to becoming Thistle fans, hopefully, and that is important because we want to get kids used to coming to Firhill.

"Some of the Under-19 players do coaching and, at the end of the week, the kids meet the first team, Robert Reid gives them a talk about the club and they get a look around the stadium and autographs."

Thistle have placed a significant emphasis on their youth-development structure.

McNamara has built a youthful squad for his first season in the dugout and Maxwell admits it is vital the Firhill outfit attract young players and supporters as early as possible.

He said: "We are also looking at running courses on a Saturday morning so the kids can go to the Firhill Complex and then go to a game."

lFor more information on the coaching course, email barry@ptfc.co.uk or call 0141-402 1971.