Recruitment for Academy is kicking off
JUNIOR FOOTBALL
YOUNGSTERS aged 16 and 17 are being offered the opportunity to go into coaching with one of the country’s leading sports organisations.
The Foundation of Light, the registered charity of Sunderland Footballl Club, is recruiting participants for its Coaches Academy programme - widely regarded as the ideal first step for teens looking for a career in coaching.
Ideal for those who left school last summer, the two-year programme offers a combination of qualifications, on-the-job mentoring and work experience alongside some of the country’s best coaching staff - with a guaranteed job interview with the Foundation at the end of the programme.
For youngsters and parents wanting to know more, there is a special open evening at the Stadium of Light tonight (7.00).
Jamie Wright, the Foundation of Light’s Assistant Director, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for those who left school in 2017 and have not made the career progress they hoped they would have.
“The Coaches Academy is one of our flagship programmes and it perfectly balances the qualifications, skills and experience someone would need to become a sports coach.”
Nathan Kew, a Coaches’ Academy graduate who is now coaching at the Academy of Light, added: “The Coaches Academy gave me everything I needed to kick off my career.
“I never imagined within four years of leaving school I would be coaching at the Academy of Light but the Academy made that possible and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.”
Many former participants have gone on to senior coaching roles within the Foundation and represented Sunderland abroad in places including Ireland, Spain and Singapore.
In September the classroombased aspects of the Coaches Academy will be hosted within the Beacon of Light, the Foundation’s new, state-ofthe-art community sports and education facility.
For further information about the Coaches Academy visit www. foundationoflight.co.uk.
To book a place at tonight’s open evening email jamie. wright@foundationoflight.co.uk.