Last week we welcomed back our BTEC students.
The first year students are being put through their paces by their tutors. They are currently under taking a fitness training module which has allowed them to test all aspects of their fitness. They have had sessions in the gym using specialized resistance equipment as well as participating in the Cooper run, a 12 minute cardiovascular endurance event around the pitch at the Wham Stadium, home to Accrington Stanley.
Meanwhile our returning students have begun their academic year by studying the rules and regulations of football. During this module of study they will discuss the application of the rules, as well as analysing the performance of officials. They will then be given the opportunity to put theory in to practice by officiating a game themselves before finally analysing their own performance. Hopefully we may find Hyndburn’s answer to Mike Dean!
All students have also been lucky enough to observe the Accrington Stanley first team, as manager John Coleman put them through their paces. This is a unique opportunity to observe what a profession sports team training session entails.
Alongside this we have two teams competing in the EFL Community league besides Man city, Preston, Carlisle and Tranmere. Our pre-season consisted of friendlies against Preston, Halifax Barnsley and Man united.
New this year is our foundation degree in community football coaching and development that we run in partnership with the University of South Wales (USW). Many of our college students from last year have continued with the Trust and have started their journey into Higher Education.
The two year degree is designed specifically for those that have a passion for sports coaching. Alongside the lectures and seminars the students will also complete 200 hours of voluntary coaching within the local community allowing them to receive practical experience to compliment the theoretical knowledge.
The students visited the USW campus in Cardiff for a 3 day residential where they participated in practical football coaching sessions with other students who are also studying the course from other Clubs. Once back in the classroom, they have begun an introduction to Sports Science and how various aspects create elite footballers. The knowledge they will obtain in areas such as nutrition and performance analysis will allow them to gain an insight into some of the careers within sport. In the coming weeks they can look forward to moving on to practical sessions where they will investigate the different styles of coaching and how they can implement them into their own sessions.
