Outgoing Connah’s Quay Nomads owner Gary Dewhurst is leaving a £250,000 parting gift to the club’s academy.

Earlier this month Dewhurst announced he will gradually wind down his financial commitment to the club.

But the Gap Personnel founder has since confirmed he will be handing over a quarter of a million pounds to the Nomads academy.

Alongside FAW income and player subscriptions, the funding, which will be across 10 years, will allow the academy to maintain its high standards of recruitment, coaching, development and performance under director Jay Catton.

A Nomads spokesperson said: “Gary’s primary passion for the club stemmed from an invite for his son, Matty (now 12), to join the club’s under-10s London tour to play Chelsea, Fulham and Reading, when he was eight.

“Since then, he’s attended over 100 academy games and witnessed first hand the quality and commitment of the academy coaches at the club, developing close ties with the likes of Jay Catton, Danny Mapp, Ben Nash and Leighton Sumner.

“His main concern at leaving the club was securing a legacy that ensured talented youngsters were given every chance of becoming the best players they could be... utilising the Nomads academy structure, including the £500,000 3G facility and community centre.”

Dewhurst took over Nomads in 2008 and the club went on to win back-to-back Huws Gray Alliance titles before securing promotion back to the Welsh Premier League.

In the past two seasons the club has qualified for Europe, recording famous victories over Stabaek and HJK Helsinki in the Europa League.

Dewhurst’s investment has also enabled Nomads’ academy to grow into one of the most renowned in the country.

A total of 34 players from the academy have gone on to sign for professional clubs, the most famous being Rhys Healey, who has played for Cardiff City in the Premier League.

Nearly 30 academy players have made their first-team debuts for Nomads while more than 20 have been selected for international duty.

During Dewhurst’s tenure the club has opened the The Quay 3G, a £500,000 community facility that was funded by a £350,000 grant from the FAW and UEFA HatTrick’s programme and £150,000 investment from Gap Personnel.