THE new academic year has got under way at East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston with news that the college has been selected by the FA as a focus college for football.

THE new academic year has got under way at East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston with news that the college has been selected by the FA as a focus college for football.

This award is offered to only 10 colleges each year and this is the second year the programme has run. It is organised by British Colleges' Sport (BCS) alongside the FA and involves guidance, advice and support to further develop a high quality and sustainable football development programme at East Norfolk SFC.

British Colleges' Sport were particularly impressed with the existing football provision for both women's and men's football, with the Sport Performance and Coach Education (SPACE) programme which last year resulted in 42 students achieving their FA level one coaching qualification and 15 students achieving their level two award.

On the football pitch, East Norfolk had their most successful season to date with both the men's and women's teams making it through to their respective BCS national cup finals where both teams were silver medallists.

A new course is the Player Improvement Programme (PiPs). It will allow the first team squads (men and women) in a number of sports, including football, to train an additional 75 minutes a week as a timetabled session. Players will train but they will also be exposed to sports science support, which will include video analysis sessions, guidance on nutrition, sports psychology and the latest training techniques.

Steve Mooney, (Head of PE), was delighted: “We had a great season last year and we really want to progress our football provision further over the next four years to benefit our students and the local area.”