Football development course for Ayrshire College students
Ayrshire College has teamed up with Kilmarnock FC, the Scottish FA’s South West region, and the KB9 Academy for a full-time course starting in August 2020.
Ayrshire College currently runs three groups of HNC Coaching and Developing Sport at its Kilmarnock Campus. For the 2020-21 session, the college has tailored one of them to become a football coaching only course, with the help of its partners.
HNC Coaching and Developing Sport (Football Development) will focus on giving students a hands-on, industry-led football experience.
Every student on the course will join the Volunteer and Inspire Project (VIP) programme at the Scottish FA. They will also be given the opportunity to lead coaching sessions alongside Kilmarnock FC’s community coaches, and at Kris Boyd’s football academy groups.
The likes of former Kilmarnock footballers Kris Boyd, Garry Hay and Paul di Giacomo will deliver class inputs to the students throughout the year. They were all at Ayrshire College’s Kilmarnock Campus on Friday 17 January to discuss the course.
Garry Hay, Player & Coach Development Manager at the Scottish FA South West region, said: “We are delighted to be able to support young people in the area, to hopefully make their football education better and give them a good all-round experience. I’m looking forward to coming in and providing support to the college in regards to the programme that has been put in place.”
Former Kilmarnock and Scotland striker Kris Boyd, who received a Fellowship Award from Ayrshire College in 2019, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to formalise another partnership approach with Ayrshire College. The students I have worked with already through the KB9 Academy and the Kris Boyd Charity have been first class, and I look forward to working with more of them on this football specific coaching course from August.”
Paul di Giacomo, Kilmarnock FC’s Community Engagement Manager, said: “We are always delighted to work with Ayrshire College in offering their students opportunities and experiences in real football environments. A number of the coaches we employ have been students at Ayrshire College, and this course will help many others pursue a successful career in football.”
John McTaggart, Curriculum Manager for Sport & Fitness at Ayrshire College, said: “This is a great opportunity for our students to learn from industry experts which will provide them with the best possible platform to have a successful career in the field of football coaching. This is another great example of the college’s Connecting Communities initiative that brings community partners together for the benefit of our students and the wider community.”
Ayrshire College opened up its August 2020/21 courses for applications this week. To find out more about this course and others, visit https://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/find-a-course/all-courses/.
20 January 2020
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