NCB teams up with Southend United Football Club
Students swap the classroom for the pitch
Sports students from New Campus Basildon have teamed up with Southend United Football Club and swapped traditional classroom lessons for lessons at Roots Hall Football Stadium.
Students involved are working towards achieving a Junior Football Organisers (JFO) qualification as part of the Southend United Goal Life skills project and attend the course 1 day a week for 7 weeks.
“The main aim of the Goals project is to give a greater understanding of the workings of a football club and how sponsorship is secured. The students then came up with their own innovative ideas about how to find new sponsors and to market the clubs activities."
Joanne Brien, Goals project coordinator at Southend United Football Club
The JFO was set up to help young people get onto the coaching ladder to coach younger players and referee games. They learn about equality, disability needs, organising football events, engaging with children, facility hire, health and safety provisions and children’s needs including the use of suntan creams, wearing hats and drinking plenty of water.
At the start of the course students are given a tour of the ground and the workings of the club are explained. Throughout the 7 weeks they learn what’s needed to run a safe session, how to do a warm-up and a cool down and the importance of these two elements.
By the end of the course and to achieve the qualification students must arrange a football festival, taking particular note to safety aspects. The festival will be at St Mary’s School in Southend for pupils aged 8-11 years old where the NCB students can pass on their experience to younger people and raise their aspirations by explaining that they got to where they are by working hard at school and going to College.
“The course is fantastic and we want to help young people by showing them what’s out there and what’s expected of them in realistic work situation. It helps the young people to aspire to greater things and teaches them there are many things in the industry that they can aspire. We have a really good bunch of students and we are glad to work so closely with SEEVIC and NCB.
“We already have a good working relationship with SEEVIC College and we have 5 apprentices from SEEVIC working here. We were keen to develop that link and started with the Goals! The Skills for Life programme deals with complex life issues and we wanted to explore how to help an older age range.
We looked at the sport courses offered at SEEVIC and NCB and added in practical skills to let the students see what goes on at the football ground. When the student completes all of the course levels they can go into football coaching, refereeing, commercial and media. The course also teaches them social skills.”
Steve Goodsell, Chief Executive of Community Trust at Southend United
Southend United’s youth team coach Mark Bonner gave a talk to the students and showed some very inspiring clips of other sports heroes who did not do to well at school but have made something of themselves to give the students goals to aim for and people to relate too.
“The course has been really successful so far, I enjoy the hands on experience. I have learnt lots of new things and enjoy being part of a team.
I would like to be a football coach so I will be staying in education until I have got all of the qualifications I need. I have been offered some work experience at Southend United so I’m really looking forward to that and hope to get another part time job as I already help to run an under 9’s football team on Saturdays.”
Taylor Ward, 16, Wickford who is studying a Level 3 BTEC in Sport at NCB and taking part in the JFO course
“The course is about raising aspirations, providing opportunities, seeing the student’s potential and them seeing potential in themselves. It will open doors for them and show them that it is possible to reach their goals. These students have volunteered to work at the soccer school at the club in the summer. They are all willing to work hard and glad that they have been given this opportunity, it has opened a lot of doors for them and they have a lot of potential. They will all be invited to a match in the new football season.”
Joanne Brien, Goals project coordinator at Southend United Football Club
After completion of the JFO intro session the students can go onto other courses as the JFO is an industry recognised qualification, they will also be able to assist qualified coaches as the course shows dedication and commitment.
Thursday, 23rd July 2009
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