ONE concerned mother of a Centre of Excellence player has expressed disappointment at being asked to raise £200 next season towards the programme's running cost.

The parent, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect her son, said that the amount would be a difficult sum for many families to find.

Despite the club pointing out that there would be no pressure to raise the full amount, the mother of one of the players from City's successful Under-12 team, also believes that some players may now be tempted to leave for other clubs.

She said: "The U12s are a fantastic team who have won 12 games out of their last 13. We've heard all about how bad York City have been this season but the youth system is great.

"There are dedicated coaches who give up their time and, as parents, we use our own transport to go to away games as far away as Bury. We are now being asked to raise £200 for each player and I think there's something wrong there.

"I'm not slagging the club off but it's a bit of a kick in the teeth especially when you see some of the club's senior players getting in their big cars to drive back to their big houses."

She said some people were considering joining clubs at a higher level where they would not have to pay anything but hoped local businesses would come forward to sponsor the York youngsters.

"We will pay £200 if we have to but I think it's sad that it has had to come to this," she added.

Updated: 10:53 Thursday, April 28, 2005