Buxton & Leek College is partnering with Buxton Football Club to launch a brand new Academy offering for budding future footballers.
Pre-season training has already started for twenty five aspiring young athletes on a full-time two year football and education programme, based at the Tarmac Silverlands Stadium in their purpose- built classroom suite.
Buxton Football Club will be delivering the football training and on-the-ball skills, with Buxton & Leek College delivering a bespoke academic programme at BTEC Level 3 which covers the knowledge that students need to success in the sports industry.
The new squad will represent Buxton in the National Alliance U19s League, competing against Academy teams from such clubs as Chester City FC, Tranmere Rovers, Preston North End, Stockport County and Wrexham, to name just a few. They will also represent Buxton FC in the FA Youth Cup this season.
Buxton Football Club Chairman David Hopkins said: “Launching the Academy has been an aspiration of the Club’s and an integral part of the vision around the near £1million investment at the Tarmac Silverlands Stadium. We could not be more delighted that Buxton & Leek College, under the umbrella of the University of Derby, has agreed to be our education provider, bringing a whole host of wider benefits to our young footballers as they embark on their journey with our Club. My personal benchmark has always been whether I would be happy for one of my sons to join our programme as a 16-year-old and I am wholeheartedly satisfied that every element of our provision has met this criteria.”
Len Tildsley, Principal of Buxton & Leek College said: “We are thrilled to be working with Buxton Football Club and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership, further enriching the offering of both local institutions.”
Jennifer McBain, the Club’s Youth Development Director, added, “As well as a potential pathway into semi-professional or professional football, being part of an elite sports environment shapes character and develops skills that are highly transferrable to the workplace. Our aim is to provide a unique opportunity to experience a programme that requires discipline, analytical skills and teamwork; characteristics in high demand by employers but not always developed in a larger sixth- form environment.”
Students interested in Football Academy can contact Jennifer McBain at academy@buxtonfc.com
