Foundation Degree with Huddersfield Town Foundation has reignited Shay’s love for coaching.
Prior to enrolling onto the Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development with Huddersfield Town Foundation, Shay was reluctant to return to higher education due to previous negative experiences in a ‘mainstream’ university.
Although initially reluctant, the leap of faith is exactly what Shay needed.
Run in partnership with the University of South Wales, the degree allows students to gain practical experience in their desired nature of work, whilst allowing for a blended learning approach where students have both face-to face and online learning. The courses which are hosted at your local football club have a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through work experience.
The ability to learn from home whilst developing a one-to-one relationship with the tutor was something that really has benefited Shay, another aspect of the University of South Wales partnership that he had previously struggled with at another university.
He explained: “Travel was a real issue on my previous course, however relocating to Huddersfield and living within 10 Minutes of the Sports Hub is beneficial. It used to take me upwards of 2 hours to travel to my previous university.
Moving onto a course where there are a smaller number of students in my cohort has been the most beneficial aspect of this course as it gives each student enough time to build a rapport with their mentor and this makes the environment much more comfortable.”
Additionally, the degree course has an emphasis on gaining real-world experience through the Club Community Organisations themselves.
Shay has had the opportunity to develop and learn highly beneficial skills for when he begins searching for his future career after graduating; this often means students are put into a variety of situations and scenarios with people from all walks of life.
He said: “Working with the Foundation we get the chance to coach different kinds of people whether that be working with adults with mental health struggles, or children who struggle with school. This course is really centred around work-based learning, getting out there and getting as much experience as you can.”
For Shay, coaching was always something he had loved, and had pursued but he had lost his spark after leaving his previous course.
He conveyed: The one major benefit with this degree is the volunteering and coaching hours you put in. This has given me a major confidence boost after falling out of love with coaching. This course has given me opportunities around football that I have gladly taken. Without the support of those at the Huddersfield Town Foundation, particularly our mentor Adam, I would not be achieving what I have done already.
When I first started my degree with the Foundation, I was relatively new to coaching and had only just recently achieved my Level 1 in coaching football, I was nervous at the idea of taking sessions. Now I enjoy coaching sessions and love to be involved in all parts of the team whether it is coaching on the pitch or management during the game. This is something that I would never of thought I’d be ready for before I started my degree at the Foundation.”
Having re-found his love and passion for coaching the game, Shay now acts as head coach for the Kirklees College Football Programme, something that has only left Shay with positive experiences and future goals.
He said: “Taking on this team has given me experience in a different kind of environment, coaching at this age group and in this setting is something I want to do in the future.”
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