It may sound grand but Bradford City really have been promised the world from their tie-up with Belgian club Royal Racing FC Montegnee.

Paul Topping, owner of the Liege-based side, insists the three-year contract between them will offer a scouting platform across the globe.

Topping has contacts in every major continent - resources that will now be made available to City in what he calls a "win, win" deal.

Young prospects will join Royal Racing at the age of 16 or 17 and spend three years playing there to gain European residency. Then City can pick and choose which, if any, of the players they want to look at.

The scheme has been an ambition for Topping since he worked with Charlton's overseas programme.

Talking to the Telegraph & Argus he said: "You realise what a big pond is out there. There are millions of kids playing throughout the world and lots want to play in Europe but the avenue is not there.

"The biggest untapped market is in America and Canada - there are 25 million youngsters playing soccer in the US and only 13 professional clubs. There are kids out there easily good enough to play at this level but there's been nowhere for them to go.

"Our goal is to set up a world-wide scouting network to source the best young players, bring them to Belgium and then work with Bradford to get them here when they are ready.

"We become as one, our worldwide scouting network becomes Bradford's. The concept is to rebrand Bradford City as a worldwide club."

Topping boasts an impressive operation with contacts just about everywhere. By next year, he predicts more than 30,000 children will be involved with the programme.

He explained: "We've got 40 scouts just in North America alone but we also work with leading figures in football in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay and have just tied up a deal with three Australian scouts.

"We've also got contacts looking in China, Japan and Thailand, as well as an African foundation which is being developed in that area. It's about opening the network.

"At the under-20 World Cup we had seven players who were connected to our programme and we have over 45 junior internationals. The standard of player we're talking about isn't run of the mill."

Inevitably, some will be sceptical but the route into Europe via Belgium is tried and trusted. Arsenal duo Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue came into the domestic game through a country where three-year residency guarantees an EU passport.

Topping added: "Another market where English clubs don't look is in South America because they think it's all red tape - but 75 per cent of 15 and 16-year-olds have European passports because of their German, Italian or Spanish ancestry."

What makes the Royal Racing project different is that the teenagers will continue their education at the same time, a key factor in persuading Americans to join.

Following a link-up with Heidelberg University in America, young players can enrol on a business degree course connected with the club while they are playing in Liege.

Topping said: "We're one of the first football clubs in the world to open a university. We believe we have a responsibility not only to teach youngsters football but to educate them.

"We are turning our club into a true academy developing world players. At the moment it is a work in progress but there are six million euros earmarked for improving training facilities."

The City deal, which was officially signed last week, was forged through former Bantams winger Mark Ellis - now an established coach in America - after a meeting with Topping in Philadelphia.

Having set up his Belgian base, Topping was looking to get together with a side in England and had spoken with a couple in the Premiership and Championship.

But Ellis naturally steered him straight to Valley Parade. Topping was put in touch with Mark Lawn, who flew out to Toronto, and the wheels were in motion.

Ellis will act as City's eyes and ears as Topping's overseas development officer.

Bantams joint-chairman Lawn said: "Stuart McCall values Mark's judgement of players and trusts him, which is very important, but the manager will have the ultimate say on anyone we might bring in because it's always his head on the chopping block.

"A lot of clubs were interested in this but Paul came here and liked the feel of Bradford."

Lawn revealed that City have paid a "small" consultancy fee for the deal, which runs until July 2010. Under its terms, City can take any players from Racing on a free transfer, with any profit from a future sell-on split equally between the two clubs.

"There will be no pressure to move them on - that will purely be the manager's decision - but half of any transfer fee will go to Racing and back into the programme," said Lawn.

"It's about getting the best youth from all over the world. To do that we need someone who's got ties in those areas and that's where Paul comes in.

"He bought this club as a vehicle to get these players into Europe and develop them - and they will come to us as more rounded individuals because of the education programme, which is just as important."

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