WARWICKSHIRE College Group and Leamington FC have launched a new football academy.
It will be based at WCG’s Moreton Morrell College from September with the team playing at Leamington’s Phillips 66 Community Stadium.
The partnership will see academy students study full-time for two years to gain a BTEC qualification in Sport whilst getting additional coaching and exposure to semi-professional football.
The course offers ten hours a week of professional coaching, fitness training, nutritional advice, strength and conditioning, and the opportunity to play competitive games in the National League U19 Alliance.
This provides a potential pathway for students to progress their football career at Leamington who play in the second tier of non-League football in the National League North.
The coaching staff are led by David Phillips, ex-professional and Wales international, FA cup winner and UEFA A licensed coach.
Phillips has worked for the college over the last 15 years and has a proven track record of leading teams to success within the college.
The academy is also supported by Samuel Oji, who is a semi-professional footballer and currently plays as a centre back for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Hednesford Town.
Neil Coker, group vice principal of curriculum at WCG, said: “We are extremely excited about this new partnership with Leamington FC which builds on our already strong reputation for Sport at Moreton Morrell.
“The new Football Academy is part of our long term plan to further develop Moreton Morrell as a national centre for excellence in sport.
“The partnership with Leamington FC will present young footballers with a very real opportunity to learn and train with top class coaches and will give many an excellent platform to launch a career in football or associate sport professions.
“We are committed to providing the very best training for ambitious young footballers alongside excellent learning opportunities that will also open up progression to degree level courses.
“And this is only the start. This adds to our established Elite Equine Academy and young people should keep a look out for future developments as plans are in place for a dedicated Rugby Academy and a Leamington FC Women’s Football Academy.”
Leamington chairman Jim Scott added: “We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with Moreton Morrell College and the wider Warwickshire College Group in setting up the Leamington FC Academy.
“It has been our aim for some time to partner with a first-class education provider and with the college being local to us and within the local community it is an ideal fit.
“It’s bringing together a complete education package combined with the opportunity for local youngsters to hone their football skills and provide a pathway that will hopefully one day see some of them playing at a high standard of non-league football with the Brakes.
“We both see this as the first step in a long and growing partnership.”
On August 31, Moreton Morrell College will be hosting pre-season training and trials between 1.30pm and 4pm.
For more information about the about the elite academy visit www.wcg.ac.uk/leamingtonfc or call 0300 456 0049.
