Accelerating the progress of Women and Girls in Football

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As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we look at how the network of EFL Club Community Organisations aim to give women in football and sport equal opportunities to succeed, and accelerate their progress in their chosen pathway.

With recognition that women were under-represented across the Football and Sport’s Coaching degree courses that are run at over 40 Clubs in partnership with the University of South Wales, the Female Development programme was established in the academic year of 2021-22 to ensure all women on the course were offered a tailored programme of opportunities to expand their knowledge and confidence with other women from other Clubs.

By ensuring an inclusive environment, with opportunities to network and hear from like-minded professionals in the sport, the programme ensures that the students on the degree course are provided with the opportunity to upskill and build confidence.

Throughout the year they have access to a variety of events that feature female professionals from a variety of roles within sport. This helps give students the confidence to seek out all the opportunities that are available to them.

Speakers to date have included senior members of the EFL Trust, who have shared their experiences of working in sport, from working off the field, to being front and centre on it. They have also heard from Daisy Croker who referees on the FA Women’s National League and the U21s Professional Game Academy League and has been involved in refereeing for the last 7 years, working her way through the ranks.

With coaching being a huge element of the degree courses, Jayne Jackson, EFL Trust’s Wildcats Project Manager provided the girls with best practices and advice on getting involved with their local Club Community Organisations and the Wildcats programme. As a result of this, some of the students have begun volunteering at their local Wildcats sessions.

From Grassroots football to the professional game, Charlotte Healy, Manchester United Women’s Assistant Coach will be a guest speaker next month as she discusses her journey and progression her from role as a community coach at Derby County Community Trust to the pinnacle of English football in the Women’s Super League.

With the opportunity to grow, develop and establish themselves in the industry, it is no wonder the Female Development programme has become a pivotal part in the increasing number of female students on the USW degree courses. With just 12 students in its first year, last year 36 students were engaged in the programme.

Whilst the University of South Wales degree programme creates opportunity for women to coach the game, our CCOs also offer a pathway for Girls to play the game. This is from the very first kick of a ball with Wildcats to the Talent Inclusion programme which helps girls who dream of representing England one day.

The Wildcats programme, in run partnership with the FA, is aimed at young girls aged 5-11 promotes a non-competitive, fun environment for all from those wanting to try football for the first time to girls who just want to play the game with girls the same age as them. This not only promotes fundamental skills required on the pitch but also develops life skills off it from effective communication to the ability to problem solve as part of a wider team.

Whilst only a small number of girls will go on to receive full senior caps at International level, our Talent Inclusion programme, also run in partnership with the FA, ensures every girl has equal chance to do so, regardless of their background.

The Talent Inclusion programme ensures that through existing community activities, participants with potential can be identified and referred to the FA England Women’s Talent Pathway. The EFL Trust’s CCOs work in some of the most deprived communities in England, where individuals and families experience challenges when trying to participate in sport and other activities. Women’s football has become a significant part of CCO delivery and engagement has hit an all-time high, given this, there is a considerable opportunity for potential to be identified and developed in the right environment. In particular, research from The FA has indicated that girls from low-socio-economic urban areas are not progressing into the talent system which is a lost opportunity for both young girls and the England team.

The Talent Inclusion programme is specifically run by over 60 EFL Club Community Organisations, who engage with young girls from low social economic communities and underrepresented groups, and look to refer talented players who, for whatever reason, may not be able to access traditional talent pathways.

It is paramount to the future of England women’s football that the pathway is a system for all. The EFL Trust and The FA are committed to working collaboratively to be creative and inventive to achieve this goal together.

How the support of USW and Carlisle United Community Sports Trust has driven Ross to ensure sport is accessible.

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As an avid fan of Carlisle United, the opportunity for Ross to study for a degree at his Club provided him with “great joy and a whole new feeling of excitement” which meant ‘work’ didn’t feel like ‘work’ to Ross.

Moreover, the extra support from the academic mentors at Carlisle United helped Ross learn in a way that suited him and his own personal circumstance.

He said: “Often I would go into the study centre and ask for help, they would help me structure my work in a way that my autism would understand, which would allow me to complete the work successfully.”

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

Students on the degree programme have numerous points of support, despite its blended learning approach from club mentors to lecturers. This level of support was a huge driver in Ross’ success in completing his degree with a first class.

As an individual who thrives off support and inclusion, Ross he enjoyed the residential trips that happen throughout the year. The students travel to Cardiff to take part in theory and practical sessions that allow them to meet their lecturers and peers in person.

Ross explained: My favourite part of the degree was going down to Cardiff on residential, meeting my lectures, meeting friends and having a chat with everyone because it was all people within the same boat as me, the same interests who wanted to do what I do and talking to them made me feel like I had strong friendships.”

With these bonds, and Ross’ passion for inclusion, the degree has prepared him for his future career.

“When I was growing up there was never a team that was for me my Autism, so I felt I missed out a bit. However, there’s lots of inclusion and sport involved within the degree as well as man management and methods of working with children and people with differences.  This  has helped me use those within my work and I want to make sure that in the future everyone get to enjoy sport.”

Ross currently works at Carlisle Youth Zone where he endeavours to put a smile on everyone’s faces through ensuring  everyone has access to sport.

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From work experience to School Sports Coordinator: How USW gave Leah the skills for full-time employment at Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

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Leah is no stranger to Wigan Athletic Community Trust having first been given an insight into the fantastic work they do to serve their local people whilst on work experience in secondary school.

Leah comments, “Whilst I was ok at school, I was just bumbling a long and not overly interested in anything. However the work experience at the Trust inspired me to want to be part of what they do.”

Having impressed, she was invited back at interview stage for an 18-month apprenticeship. The familiarity of her surroundings put her in good stead and been Leah completed the apprenticeship programme before moving on to the foundation degree programme in partnership with the University of South Wales.

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

Although the foundation degree programme provides blended learning, allowing students to learn remotely whilst accessing work-placement opportunities. There is also a large emphasis on the cohesion and enjoyment that residential trips provide.

However, with a national lockdown in place, Leah would not get to experience the degree as she did in her 2nd and 3rd years. However, she would not be disheartened.

As the world opened again, Leah could venture into the working world through a plethora of opportunities that the Trust provides though various provisions.

She explained that this exposure made her “more organised, be able to manage time and become a better coach.”

This was the start of Leah’s journey into full time employment at the club she had known for years.

With a promotion to School Sports Coordinator shortly after she graduated from the University of South Wales, it was a role that she adores.

She said: “I absolutely love working with children, they brighten my day with how enthusiastic they are about PE and Sport.”

Despite, self admittedly not being an avid football fan like many who enrol on the course, Leah’s story is an example of how the University of South Wales Foundation Degree allows students to tailor their own learning and pathways to excel at all levels of coaching from football to dance.

 

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Foundation Degree with Bristol Rovers helped Will build confidence in finding his future career path.

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Will always wanted to be a football coach, but lacked the confidence to fulfil his dream.

He was nervous about seeking out the opportunities that would allow him to progress into coaching and not comfortable in asking for help either. This was a driver in Will’s decision to enroll on the USW Foundation degree course at Bristol Rovers. He was fan of the Club and the course offered the chance to gain coaching experience alongside his studies, which in turn removed the daunting idea of having to find the opportunities himself.

He described himself as “never the confident person in the room, I would always be the one at the back being quiet.”  However, the foundation degree nurtured Will’s confidence and exposed him to real-world working environments that took him out of his comfort zone and allowed him to grow both personally and professionally.

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

The foundation degree also provides students with the ability to gain further qualifications alongside their studies including their coaching badges, something that helped Will to hone in on his future.

He explained: “I felt this differed from different educational experiences as I was able to gain work experience whilst studying. I was able to gain qualifications along the way and was able to work on different projects that the trust offered to find the area of work I enjoyed the most.”

As someone who struggled for confidence, Will hugely benefited from the small class size as it allowed him to gain more in depth, individual support from his degree mentor. Will has continued at his degree provider, Bristol Rovers Community Trust where he is now Head of Inclusion and Degree Mentor on the same programme that provided him the platform to develop his self-belief, confidence and career aspirations.

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EFL Clubs roll out new BA Hons Degree increasing education opportunities for all.

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Football fans who want to learn about the business of football can study at their football Club thanks to a new BA Hons degree course in Sports Business Management which will be available at 17 EFL Clubs from September 2023.

Delivered in partnership with the University of South Wales, the degree is specifically designed for students who are looking for a career in business and management within the sports industry. Each individual will get the unique chance to study at their local football Club, often at the stadium via an online learning platform and will receive mentoring support and practical work experience through the Club’s community organisation.

To launch the degree, BTEC students from QPR were invited to demonstrate their business acumen and to come up with ways to boost match day revenue for the Club. Their ideas were pitched to a group of football ‘dragons’, including QPR players Josh De Silva and Trent Rendall.

You can see how they got on here.

QPR are one of 17 EFL Clubs running the new degree from September where students will cover topics including business planning, financial management and marketing.

The first pitch at the launch event was by Avante Joseph and Myles Mari who presented the ‘QPR App, giving fans the chance to access exclusive content about the Club, from the men’s first team to the academy, as well as live commentary of games.

The second pitch by Denzel Magezi, Matheus Rossi and Oliver Hearn-Lee proposed the ‘E-sports room’ offering fans the opportunity to compete in E-Sports tournaments against their heroes in renowned games such as FIFA and Fortnite.

The final pitch came from Angela Oceja, who’s idea was a pre and post-match ‘Community Festival’ to ensure the Club embraced every aspect of its local community. It would give a platform to local DJs, performers, food business and other local entertainers to participate.

On the judging panel the ‘dragons’ included Josh De Silva and Trent Rendall from QPR, Emily Fermor of Hanbury Strategy and Jay Probert from the University of South Wales.

Emily said: “We were very impressed with the plans and it was obvious that the students had done their market research. We were particularly impressed with how each pitch had considered and looked to improve the fan’s experience and deciding the winner was very difficult.”

After a long deliberation of three very impressive pitches the judges awarded Denzel, Matheus and Oliver’s ‘E-sport room’ as the overall winners, with the trio taking home their very own tablet as their prize. Trent commented: “The market research the students had carried out was very impressive. We could really see how this would work and would be something that we’d be excited to get involved in.”

Cathy Abraham, Chief Executive of the EFL Trust said, “The degree is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn about the business side of sport and to do so while getting invaluable hands on experience at a professional Football Club. This is another great example of how Clubs use the power of the badge and their unique position in the community to improve people’s education and chance of gaining meaningful employment.“

Clubs delivering BA Hons Degree in Sport Business Management:
Accrington Stanley, AFC Fylde, Barnsley, Birmingham City, Burton Albion, Cardiff City, Carlisle United, ,Derby County, Exeter City, Hull City, Leyton Orient, Lincoln City, Nottingham Forest, Preston North End, QPR, Sheffield United, Shrewsbury Town, Tranmere Rovers,West Brom Albion.

To find out more about the degree go to www.efltrust.com/ba-sports-business-and-management/

Foundation Degree with Stevenage Foundation enhanced Sonny’s leadership as a coach.

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Prior to enrolling on the Foundation Degree with Stevenage Foundation, in partnership with the University of South Wales Sonny was already well known at the Foundation having been an apprentice.

His experience within the environment meant Sonny already had a high level of confidence when it came to coaching and working as part of a team environment. Although Sonny’s foundations did not need building in this instance, the Degree Course was perfect for him to develop further on and off the pitch and nurture his leadership skills.

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

Personal and professional development is paramount on the Foundation Degree and something Sonny excelled at despite having a wealth of previous experience.

With the possibility to always improve, Sonny said: “ I was able to develop my understanding of coaching techniques to discover how they work in getting the best out of each individual/group.”

As a result, Sonny is now the lead coach for local club Bishops Stortford where his ability to differentiate between coaching techniques is pivotal as he coaches children ranging from U7’s to U13’s.

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University of South Wales graduate now working full-time at Stevenage Foundation and Stevenage FC Academy.

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Whilst on the Foundation Degree in partnership with the University of South Wales and Stevenage Foundation, Josh gained on the job experience through the Foundations community projects that has allowed him to make the natural progression into full-time coaching.

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

Consequently, through the mixed learning styles that the degree course holds, Josh was able to develop both personally and professionally to benefit his own coaching, and the experience of the participants he now coaches.

He said: “ The course allowed me to learn different coaching techniques in order to manage each and every individual differently. This allows me to add a different strength to my coaching as my ability to manage individuals with different abilities has improved.”

The course also gave Josh the opportunity to gain professional qualifications in his UEFA B license, that set the foundations for his progression where he not only coaches at the Foundation but is also the lead U12’s coach at Stevenage FC Academy.

Click here to find out more.

 

Degree course with Blackpool FC Community Trust gives Courtney the confidence chase her dream of becoming a teacher.

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Having had the desire to work within sport and education since an early age, the degree course with Blackpool FC Sports College and Blackpool FC Community Trust has given Courtney the confidence and opportunity to pursue her dream.

She explained: “My passion for sports started at such a young age, it is since then that I have wanted to become a PE teacher However, I wasn’t sure that I had enough confidence to teach, which has led me to study on this programme.”

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

The unique nature of studying for a degree with the University of South Wales means Courtney did not have to choose between finishing her education or gaining experience in a working environment. As the degree provides practical experience whilst student learn.

She said: “I decided that the USW Foundation Degree was for me as it offers a range of opportunities to better my knowledge and experience within a sports environment. The degree can help me become a better coach as I will gain more experience on my placement as well as knowledge due to assignments. “

Having been involved in various coaching and teaching practices from day one, Courtney has naturally grown in confidence, a skill which will undoubtedly be pivotal in her future success as a teacher.

Although Courtney’s confidence is now enough for her to feel comfortable in delivering and coaching an array of sessions, it has not always been that way.

Courtney is a very keen advocate of more females enrolling onto the degree course. Courtney is part of the Female Development Programme as a representative of her year group.

She said: “I personally feel this programme will benefit all females because you are given a choice on what you prefer, it gives you the opportunity to give your opinion on how women can develop in the sporting industry. The more females involved within the female development programme, the more opportunity, and benefits there will be for us!

I feel as it is important for more females to be involved within the degree and sport because it creates role models for other females to feel the confidence to also become involved which creates a higher percentage of female involvement. Women increased involvement can also promote positive development in sports such as values, attitude, knowledge, capabilities, and experience. “

After concluding her two-year foundation degree, Courtney hopes to continue onto the top-up degree before applying to complete her PGCE to fulfil her career aspirations of becoming a teacher.

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Barnsley FC Helping Hashim Show How Disability is not a barrier to Success

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Hashim is furthering his education and improving his employment prospects through his Football Club. Hashim also has a goal to help others enjoy the benefits of sport. Hashim is studying for a Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development with Barnsley FC’s charity, Reds in the Community.

Hashim has been deaf all his life having contracted an ear infection at just a few months old. But, for him it is not something that negatively impacts his life, a mindset he wants to pass onto others.

Operating through the University of South Wales (USW), the two-year degree course is run in partnership with the EFL Trust in order to develop the required skills and experiences to operate as a professional coach or work in community sport. The degree offers work-based learning with Reds in the Community and allows learners to tailor their interests and gain practical, hands on experience.

Through this, those students studying at Barnsley can continue get hands on experience of the whole range of the Clubs charity’s work. This method of learning really appealed to Hashim especially as he would get to be involved in Reds in the Community’s excellent disability sports programme.

Having started the USW course during the COVID-19 pandemic. This presented more challenges for Hashim with so much work taking on-line. However, he always stayed positive and did everything he could to remove any barriers and be the best he can be.

He explained: “Learning online was difficult for me. As a Deaf person, I prefer to work face to face. I had to work doubly hard compared to my hearing peers. USW and Reds in the Community have been so supportive at every step. The lecturers check in to see if I need anything and to let me know what support is available to me. I just try to get on as normally as I can – if there is a barrier, I put the effort in and try to break it down.”

Hashim is also a talented footballer and also aspires to succeed in his playing career. He currently representing Farsley Celtic Deaf FC, who have just won the English Deaf Football Challenge Cup, and the England Deaf Team. However, it is clear above all Hashim wants to provide the support, guidance, and inspiration to younger hearing-impaired individuals to ensure they can succeed, without their hearing impairment becoming a barrier.

He explained: “I think about younger Deaf people coming through and I would advise them to work hard, try and be the best they can be, always thinking that next step. If there’s any barriers, find the support available. I’m happy to help anyone who wants to get in touch.”

 

 

Degree Course with Huddersfield Town the perfect fit for Connor

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Having previously tried various other educational options including media and plumbing courses, Connor was unsure on what his career aspirations were after leaving high school. Consequently, he jumped from course to course, without finding enjoyment in education and not completing the work required.

However, having joined the degree course with Huddersfield Town, Connor now has a completely different outlook on his education.

He said: “Since joining this course I have thoroughly enjoyed it and have completed all my work with motivation, which is a big thing for me as it shows I am enjoying the course.”

The University of South Wales 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 has a huge emphasis on gaining real world learning through placements with students only having to attend the University for short residential periods.

The enjoyment that Connor had struggled to find with other courses, is clear to see as he is excelling both in and out of the classroom. With the programme offering practical experience at the hands of Huddersfield Town Foundation, Connor has immersed himself fully into the course despite only being in his first year.

He explained: “There are 6 different modules on the course, the one I have enjoyed the most though was the event management as me and a few other course mates got to hold our own event up at Moldgreen primary school. With no really restraints on our event it allowed us to be creative with our ideas and plan a fun and engaging for the students.”

Connor has worked on the SEND provisions that the club provides; girls Kicks sessions as well as numerous tournaments. Connor has also completed his UEFA C qualification where he is awaiting assessment.

The degree course has been a breath of fresh air for Connor, where he has found something he is naturally passionate about.
The progress Connor has made from an individual who lacked motivation and direction to now self admittedly not only wanting to pass his course but to achieve the best possible grades.

Adam Halliday, Connor’s Education Mentor said: “Connor is a pleasure to mentor and engage with on the programme. He is enthusiastic, inquisitive, and wants to achieve to the best of his ability. He is a natural leader and his peers benefit from his approach to classroom activities. With a fantastic first year coming to an end, and a UEFA C qualification pending, I am excited to see Connor continuing to progress next year.”

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