King Edward VI College will be starting 3 separate sports academies from next year. The College is to run Football, Rugby and Cricket academies for 16 – 19 year olds in partnership with Nuneaton Town FC, Nuneaton Rugby Club and Nuneaton Cricket Club.
The football academy will operate as a joint venture with Nuneaton Town FC allowing students interested in following a career in the football industry to experience not only practical coaching, but also gain academic qualifications. Coaching is to come from FA qualified coaches daily and the students will compete in one of the numerous College and Academy teams.
Nuneaton Town Chairman Ian Neale said “As part of ongoing Community Foundation work, linking up with Kegs provides a perfect partnering arrangement to continue and reach out and offer opportunities to young people in the area.â€
For students in the Rugby Academy, coaching will come from Nuns coaches including Mike Umaga and Huw Thomas. The 1st team will continue to play home matches at Old Ed’s, bringing together the whole youth Rugby community in the town and surrounding areas.
As well as Nuneaton Cricket Club and Bedworth Cricket Club supporting the College Cricket Academy, ‘Bounce’ indoor cricket centre ensures that the regular coaching sessions will continue throughout the year. Warwickshire Cricket Club coaches will be honing the student’s technique at the superb facilities.
In addition to these practically based academies, KEC will be introducing BTEC Sport to next September’s academic programme alongside the existing AS and A-Level PE courses.
At a time when funding nationally has been stopped for all College Sports, the college has seen fit to fund this initiative. The college PE and Sport co-ordinator James Barton said “Having formal partnerships with all the clubs as well as Bounce is fantastic and a real first for the town. We are expanding all aspects of PE and Sport at KEC and to do this in conjunction with the clubs is great. It can only help to increase the sporting provisions, experiences and ability of 16 – 19 year olds both at KEC and within North Warwickshire areaâ€
Prospective students will be able to find out more at the College Open Evening on Wednesday November 16th.
