The New Saints’ assistant manager Mike Davies has jetted-off to Juventus in Turin as part of a special coaching scheme.

Davies is among a team of 18 Welsh Premier coaches who headed for Italy, Holland and Spain as part of an education programme to bring back new ideas on developing future football talent in Wales.

The coaching visits are being made thanks to funding secured from the European Commission’s Leonardo Da Vinci Lifelong Learning Programme.

That grant has enabled the Welsh Football Trust to send groups of coaches to Feyenoord, Espanyol and Juventus as part of the funding which supports the development of skills and training in the UK.

The study visit delegates include former Welsh Premier League managers Peter Nicolas and Tony Pennock, as well as Academy Directors Bob Jeffrey (Llanelli), James Cotton (GAP Connah’s Quay) and Ioan Llewellyn (Bangor City).

Neath coaches Cameron Toshack and Ray Pennock as well as Rhyl midfielder Gareth Owen will also benefit from the education programme.

“It is a huge achievement for the Welsh Football Trust to have secured this funding,” said Welsh Football Trust chief executive Neil Ward.

“It will provide coaches with an invaluable insight into European training techniques which would be disseminated to other Welsh coaches through local coaching workshops.

“The experience is undoubtedly an exciting opportunity, which I am confident will equip our coaches with an invaluable insight into the training techniques that have proven successful in Europe.

“The lessons learnt from these visits will play an important part in the future design and content of our player development.”