Coleraine FC's Game-Changing Education & Football Academy

The footballing stars of the future now have a chance to get to the top of their class...on and off the field. That's because the ambitious Coleraine Football Club has introduced a full-time Education and Coaching Academy.

This article is featured in the Winter edition of Our CQ Magazine - To explore more articles, please click here.

The club has partnered with Football Management Company and North Coast Integrated College to offer a first-class Education and Football Academy in the town.

The exciting project is aimed at students who wish to pursue a career in football or the leisure industry.

This unique two-year programme is equivalent to three A-Levels, combining specialist football coaching and training, along with expert first-class education.

Both educational and practical elements are delivered at Coleraine Showgrounds, benefiting from using the state-of-the-art 4G pitch, assisting the delivery by coaching professionals to develop and improve all aspects of the game.

The Level 3 course also enhances career opportunities by gaining governing body recognised qualifications within the Irish Football Association coach education pathway.

The course, now in its second year, is already showing the fruits of its labour, helping one pupil, Sam Watton, create his own coaching business, Technical Impact Coaching.

Sam was quick to express his gratitude for the skills and experiences that he gained on the course.

“The course was a great experience for me," Sam told CQ Magazine.

"I fully enjoyed the full-time training aspect, being on the pitch three days a week, with a gym session on a Monday.

“That really helped improve my game. I was also given the opportunity to study business management and given practical coaching experience in local schools, which really helped me when I started my coaching business”.

Gary Devenney, Player Education Officer at Coleraine FC, who oversees the programme, is enthusiastic about its benefits.

“With so many Irish League clubs now seeing the benefit of a full-time training model, programmes like this not only aid the football development of our students, but it also affords them practical, hands-on experience of working and learning within a sporting environment," explained Gary.

"The course is practically orientated and, with topics such as coaching for performance, practical sports coaching and practical sports performance, students can transfer skills learnt in the classroom onto the pitch to aid their academic understanding.

"Students are also offered the opportunity to undertake Irish Football Association accredited coaching courses to help improve their CV."

To date, students have completed a range of courses, such as the Coaching Disabled Footballers Award, Referees Award, and Grassroots Introduction to Coaching and in March 2024, they will begin the IFA National Coaching Certificate.

On completion of the NCC, students will be able to gain employment as an IFA-certified coach.

Recruitment for September 2024 will commence in January, but in the meantime, prospective students can still express interest by completing the expression of interest form on the club website.

Simply head to Google and search ‘The Coleraine Way’, and the form will appear on the first link listed.