Young Winchester footballers to get new football and education academy

Young footballers will be given the chance to pursue further education alongside playing on the pitch as part of a new initiative by Winchester City FC and the University of Winchester.

16 to 19-year-olds who will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Winchester-born professionals such as Danny Ings and Liam Delap can now apply for the Football and Education Academy, which will launch in 2026.

Students will study for an NCFE level 3 extended diploma in sport and physical activity while also training regularly.

Sport Coaching and Psychology lecturer Dr Steve Smith played a pivotal part in the launch of the partnership and said: “What they are looking to do is to allow very talented footballers to continue with their football, to train pretty much daily and get an education alongside.”

The club and university feel it is important for young players to earn qualifications as well as playing football.

Winchester City FC Director Stuart Munro said: “There is a number of football academies in the local area, but they don’t really cater for the young adults wanting to go into further education after the two years of the academy.

“We feel that they just concentrate on football and not enough on the education path so we’re trying to do something different that takes the education side of the academy as important, if not more important, than the football side.”

The programme will be supported by Juniper Training and Sports Performance Manager Mark Gamble hosted an open evening at the Charters Community Stadium on Thursday 4 December to explain the course to players and parents.