Canadian Youth Star Trial

By Rob Sedgwick
Date: 23/9/2001

CANADIAN defender Tyler Hemming who, at 16 years of age, is the youngest player in the Canadian Professional Soccer League, has joined Grimsby Town for a two week trial. The central defender, who currently is on the books of top side London City has also attracted interest from Celtic.

Hemming is believed to be one of the first products of Grimsby Director of Youth Football Ian Knight's connections in North America where Town have established informal links with two Canadian sides, in addition to the club's scouting networks operating either side of the Irish border.
Knight spent some time this summer watching players across the Atlantic, in a bid to extend the Mariners scouting network across the globe. He relinquished his role as Youth Team Coach in June in order to devote more time to finding and recruiting overseas talent.

Hemming was selected for the CPSL All Stars in the game with Portuguese First Division team Maritimo on July 25. "We were impressed right from the word go," said club owner Harry Gauss on Hemming, who has already started trained with Town's youth team, and is said to be one of the brightest prospects of his age in Canadian football.