THE SYDNEY Swans have been quick off the mark to sign emerging young talent Jack Lynch to their scholarship program.

Lynch, from the St Ignatius Riverview School in North Sydney, is a talented athlete who plays state basketball.

In fact, Lynch, 15, flew out to Perth on Thursday to compete in the national U/16 basketball championship.

Sydney Swans elite talent identification coach Chris Smith, a former AFL player himself, said that Lynch was a standout among his peers.

“We signed Jack on Monday and we are very excited about his prospects,” Smith said.

“He has all the attributes of an outstanding athlete and although he is kind of new to football his speed and endurance at our scholarship clinics were the best.

“He has only been playing Australian Rules football for two years but we can see the potential especially as he is 190cm tall and has good ball skills.”

Lynch is the club’s fourth signing this year and eighth signing since the scholarship program started with Craig Bird making his AFL debut this year the standout success.

Other scholarship signings are Nathan Kenny, Blake Guthrie, Jackson Potter, Jay Lewis, Matthew May, Ryan Bottin-Noonan and Nathan Gordon since the program started two years ago.

Recruiting young talent is a full-time occupation that takes Smith not only across the country but also around the globe to see how other sporing clubs train and mentor youngsters.

“I went overseas prior to Christmas and spent some time at the soccer academies of Ajax and Bayern Munich football clubs and one point that they both emphasised is to get kids of good ilk,” Smith said.

“There is a lot of young talent out there and it is important to get all the right qualities in a young person.”

Smith starts his recruitment selection by watching boys from the age of 13 playing in Australian Rules competitions.

“It is a real process now,” Smith said. “With the younger ones we normally work out who are the best in the state as 13 and 14-year-olds and we rely pretty heavily on who makes representative teams from which, I then go and watch a lot of those carnivals.

“From there I select talented youngsters who I think would be in the top 20 for their age group and I invite them to a scholarship clinic where we hold four sessions over four weeks on all aspects of football.

“We do a pretty thorough screening that involves testing their endurance, their agility and speed testing. We also evaluate their skills in ball games to rate what their decision-making and awareness is like. Then I personally look for kids with a certain amount of maturity because mental application is needed.

“A lot of these guys are pretty focused and a lot weren’t regarded as the best footballers in their age group but I thought what tipped them over the edge was their maturity and application. They are all pretty competitive young lads.”

Smith points to Bird as the obvious example as a standout to what the rest of the scholarship players can achieve.

“We use Craig Bird as a role model,” Smith said. “You need to make sure you have good kids; those that are committed and focused.”