Aston Villa Foundation expands further education offering

Aston Villa Foundation expands further education offering

The Aston Villa Foundation have expanded their Boys’ Football and Education offering to three Football Academies ahead of the 2019/20 academic year.

The existing Shelfield Football Academy will be joined by the Halesowen Football Academy and Aston Manor Football Academy, which will be run in partnership with Halesowen College and Aston Manor Academy respectively.

The new courses allow students aged 16-18 to combine representing Aston Villa in the English Football League Education & Community Football Alliance with studying A Levels or specific sports qualifications.

Programmes Manager Pete Ezard is excited by the growth of the programme since its inception in 2017.

He said: “The Football and Education programme has grown significantly over the last two years, providing young people from across the communities of Birmingham with the unique opportunity to study alongside representing one of the most established clubs in the country. Several further education pathways are available to students, including Diplomas, A Levels and enrichment opportunities, such as the FA Level 1 Coaching qualification. The courses focus on developing students as coaches and sports professionals as well as developing them as players. A number of our students will be moving onto higher education in the next academic year.”

Ikhlaas Ahmed is a member of the Football and Education Programme’s first ever cohort, signing up to the course for its inaugural academic year in 2017. He’s since thrived on an educational and personal level, following his dream of becoming a football coach by gaining practical experience with the Aston Villa Foundation alongside his studies.

Ikhlaas progressed from being a volunteer to his current role as a Community Sports Coach, a role he undertakes on a part-time basis.

He said: “I joined the course because I have a real passion for football and coaching as well. There are so many opportunities with the Foundation and I felt it was a really good experience to jump onto.”