Archive for category: News

A Preston North End student has risen through the ranks to gain a work experience role at the Academy after just three years studying at the football club.

Ollie Birkett, a former FE student and now HE student at North End has put the opportunities studying at a football club offers into good use, and is now attaining work experience at the Academy as he looks to make his mark in football coaching.

“It’s given me a great idea of what it’s like to be a coach,” said Ollie who took a short break from coaching with the pre-academy and development centres to talk about his experiences.

“It’s helped me understand the qualifications I need to be a good coach and what I need in terms of the qualities of a coach and the equipment you need. It’s given me a great idea of what it’s like to be a coach at academy level as well giving me great enjoyment and a great experience.”

Ollie started in his quest to be a football coach as a Level Three student at Preston North End in Sport and Exercise. Here, Ollie joined the two-year long programme combining classroom based modules with practical based experience, which included representing North End in regional and national tournaments.

From there, Ollie continued his education with PNE by studying a Foundation Degree in Football Coaching in conjunction with the University of South Wales and EFL Trust, and is now gaining hands on experience by working with the Academy.

He continued: “With the foundation degree, I came on to the programme not really knowing what I wanted to do. I had a passion for sport and a passion for football so it was a good reason why I joined the course.

“Joining the course has given me plenty of opportunities to see what jobs are out there in sport and within football in particular.

“I don’t think you’d get this opportunity studying at other colleges – you wouldn’t get behind the scenes access in a professional football club and I doubt you would get the opportunity to work with an academy. I think there is plenty more opportunities within the football industry through the education at Preston North End compared to other colleges.”

Ollie has been supported and observed throughout his time working at the Academy by the likes of Lead Foundation Phase Coach, Paul Gray who has been impressed with what he has seen from Ollie so far.

“Ollie has done really well since being with us” said Paul “We are looking for people to come into the Academy who are going to work hard, be committed to what we are trying to do here and people that are willing to learn and get better and Ollie has shown those qualities since he’s come in.

“He’s hard working and not one that will shy away from doing a bit extra when it is needed which is really important for us. I think since he has been with us, his communication skills have really come on and really improved. He is good when he talks to the parents and has good rapport when he coaches our youngest players so we have players from as young as five, six and seven and he really gets down to their level and shows he can work with them ages.

“Hopefully with our guidance and our help, he will get his coaching badges and he will get opportunities to then possibly move up and coach one of the academy age groups and then who knows, he could end up with a full-time position. But he’s going to have to keep working hard, keep listening, learning and get better all of the time.”

Whilst Paul has been a figure who has been able to observe Ollie’s progress during his time at the Academy, somebody who has been with Ollie during his days in the Education Programme is Recruitment and HE Development Manager and former player, Graeme Atkinson.

As well as a senior figure in the Education Programme at North End, Graeme has also been an Academy Coach at PNE for a number of years which has helped Ollie get this opportunity in the first place.

“There’s no reason that when we have got people like Ollie – students who are under our noses and doing really well why we couldn’t utilise what we have got at our disposal,” added Graeme. “We have got other students doing various bits and bobs with other departments and that is testament to the club and the resources and also how they embrace the students that we have on our courses to get involved and to hopefully potentially become our next employees.

“This experience could be massive for him. Ultimately, it’s going to be down to him and the effort that he puts in but for his first year he has done magnificently well and getting some very good plaudits from full-time staff.

“Anybody that is on our programme is obviously getting first dibs and we are progressing those opportunities to reality and hopefully the word comes about that we are doing positive things for students in the community and that going to mainstream colleges is one thing, but we are providing a good level of work experience alongside the courses that we are delivering as an alternative.”

He concluded: “I would fully recommend it to somebody who was unsure with what they want to do and were passionate about sport and passionate about football. I would 100% recommend the education programme because it gives you plenty of opportunities and great experiences. Even if you decide that you don’t want to go into football, you still have a great two years with great experiences – It’s a fantastic course.”

Places are still available to those aged 16 and above to join the programme with a Level Two or Level Three Diploma in Sport and Exercise, so if you have a passion for sport, uncertain on the next part of your education but interested in following in Ollie’s footsteps, contact the Education team at Preston North End now by calling 01772 693309 or email [email protected] for an informal chat with regards to the course, and see if it’s right for you.

More than 75 people joined a Charlton Athletic group at the Pride in London parade on Saturday 7 July, marching through Central London for the annual celebration of LGBTQI+ rights.

Pride in London saw Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) celebrate the success of LGBTQI+ friendly football team CACT Invicta FC and LGBTQI+ supporters’ group Proud Valiants. It was a historic event, with Charlton Athletic becoming the first professional club to have its own float in the parade. Previously, clubs had solely been represented by fan groups.

Participants walked behind CACT’s professionally designed LGBTQI+ themed minibus, while students from the University of Greenwich and young people from Woolwich Common Youth Hub showcased the banners they had made to crowds lining Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and other London landmarks. Students were also joined by University of Greenwich staff and Students’ Union sabbatical officers. Additionally, there were a number of trainees and graduates from the National Citizen Service programme CACT delivers.

Around 500 LGBTQI+ groups and more than 30,000 people took part in the parade, while hundreds of thousands lined the streets.

The Charlton group danced, waved flags, kicked around inflatable footballs and also shared goal updates from England’s 2-0 World Cup win against Sweden with cheering crowds, really embracing and reflecting the theme: All Together, All Proud, All Charlton.

Dr Michael Seeraj, CACT’s Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, said:

“It was fantastic to see so many people in our Pride in London group during the parade on Saturday! “There was a brilliant atmosphere throughout the day, and the overwhelmingly positive response from crowds underlines just how much desire there is for football to break down barriers for LGBTQI+ people.”

Gary Ginnaw, CACT Invicta FC’s Player-Manager, said: “CACT Invicta FC were very proud to be part of the first ever Charlton Pride in London float. “To have so many participants involved on the day with so much diversity across the group was a fantastic sight. I’d like to take time to thank every member of the steering group that spent so many hours making the event such a huge success. “So many people on the day were congratulating us for taking part with such a huge group making a massive impact in front of the whole of London and beyond – football is for everyone.”

Rob Harris, Proud Valiants’ Chair, said:“Proud Valiants were so proud to be part of the Charlton Family on such a wonderful day, a great day for diversity everywhere!

“Homophobia has no place in today’s society anywhere and it was a brilliant day with an awesome win for England which we shared with a really enthusiastic crowd. “To see so many red Charlton t-shirts was an amazing spectacle, and we owe a real thanks to all the people who joined us on such a hot day and made a huge sacrifice by not watching the match.”

A representative from the University of Greenwich said:

“We are and always will be a proud supporter of the LGBTQI+ movement and it’s great to be able to publicly demonstrate our commitment to the cause alongside Charlton Athletic, our partner and local football club.

“Whilst there has been phenomenal progress in LGBTQI+ rights, there is still a long way to go, and events like London Pride not only celebrate inclusivity and diversity, but also the progress we continue to make towards a more accepting world.”

The Charlton group’s participation in Pride in London was also supported by the Charlton Athletic Race & Equality Partnership, the University of Greenwich, the FA, the EFL Trust, the Professional Footballers’ Association, Fans For Diversity, Kick it Out, Whitecode Design, Norton Rose Fulbright and ITRM.

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, in partnership with Brentford Lock West, Syon House, Ferrero and Enjoy Work, delivered one of Brentford’s biggest sporting events at Syon Park last Sunday.

Runners, families and children basked in the summer sunshine as the Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Samia Chaudhary, was the official starter for the Brentford Challenge.

With temperatures soaring to 24 degrees, more than 300 people – including local MP Ruth Cadbury – took part in the event that included a 10k run, 5k run, 5k Walk and Talk (in association with West London Mental Health Trust) and a 1k children’s race.

Interestingly, all the runners had the unique opportunity to run in the stunning private grounds of Syon Park.

Steve and Jenny who ran the 10k race and live in Brentford said:

“We live in the Brentford Lock West development and we thought the race looked like a great course; I think it’s fantastic to get involved with a local community event.”

“We do quite a lot of running events,” Jenny added. “But it’s great to have a local sporting event that is right on your doorstep.”

This year also marked a special mental health event: a 5k mental health awareness walk in partnership with West London Mental Health Trust. The walk – coined a 5k ‘Walk & Talk’ – aims to tackle the stigma around mental health and encourage more people to get active.

Angela Benjamin, who took part in the 5k mental health awareness walk, said:

“I suffered from depression after the death of my two daughters. I took part in a similar event last year and it was amazing to talk to other people who are in a similar situation to me.

“Talking to people from all backgrounds made me realise I was not alone – raising awareness of mental health is so important.”

Along with highlighting the importance of mental health, the Brentford Challenge also offered a range of activities that encouraged local children to get more active. The event hosted an under 8s football festival, an introduction to paddleboarding at Brentford Lock and a Pilates taster session.

Lee Doyle, Chief Executive of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, said:

“I would like to thank our partners Brentford Lock West, Syon House, Ferrero and Enjoy Work for enabling us to deliver a fantastic event that can be enjoyed by everyone in the local community.

“Sporting events like these highlight the spirit of the local community, which in turn, help more local people to get active and enjoy exercise.”

Michael Auger, Regional Director for Brentford Lock West and Brentford’s official partner for the event, said:

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Community Sports Trust and to all of the people who took part in the annual Brentford Challenge on Sunday. Yet again it was a fantastic event that saw the whole community come together to get active and enjoy a fun packed day.

Whether you participated in one of the many organised runs, you took part in the paddleboarding right outside our sales suite, or you enjoyed the various activities on offer in the sports village, we hope you had as much fun as we did! It was great to see so many of our residents taking part and to hear how they are enjoying life here.”