Paul Barton, Portsmouth’s development centre manager and under-12 academy head coach

The financially-troubled Premier League club has paid local coaches late, just as it has its players this season.

But it has not paid for the hire of pitches at Baubigny Schools and the Scout Headquarters at Rue Mainguy in recent weeks and has advised that GFA that it will not be in a position to do so.

Portsmouth took over responsibilities for the finances and operation of the Development Centre in the summer, having previously had an arm’s-length involvement along with Bournemouth and Southampton when the GFA started the initiative last January at under-12, 13 and 14 age groups. The backing allowed the project to expand and run from six-year-olds upwards.

The south-coast club, which is facing a winding-up order from HM Revenue, this week confirmed what the GFA had feared for some weeks: that it was withdrawing its financial backing for the project.

However, it has said that it will continue to pay the local coaches involved.

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