Young Sussex stars will learn at Brighton and Hove Albion ground (From The Argus)

Young Sussex stars will learn at Brighton and Hove Albion ground

8:13pm Tuesday 17th February 2009 in

By Andy Chiles »

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A new football academy will be opened at Brighton and Hove Albion's Falmer stadium.

The school will be separate from the club's own youth set-up and aimed at training both promising young players who have not made it as professionals and others who are just keen to play.

It is being set up by City College Brighton and Hove to try to make up for a shortfall of sports opportunities for teenagers in the city.

Male and female players will be coached by at least one former professional, with retired Albion captain Charlie Oatway already committed to helping with the project.

The academy will open in September with 60 students at the college's campus in Wilson Avenue, east Brighton, and is due to move to the stadium when it opens in 2011.

Luke Hampton, who has moved from BHASVIC, in Hove, to take up the role as head of the college's new sports department, said it would be one of the best facilities in the country.

He said: "We will have players training three days a week and playing a match in the national college league every week, so it will be quite a professional set-up.

"Around that they be working on a variety of sports-based qualifications, including BTECs and NVQs.

"The idea is that footballers who haven't quite made the grade with clubs like Albion can carry on playing.

"They might then reach a position where they have another chance at making it as a professional but if they don't they will have a qualification to fall back on and can pursue other paths, like going to university."

The college has already had more than 60 applications for the first intake in September and is accepting others.

It plans to expand the course size to 100 in the second year.

Mr Hampton said: "We will be running two groups, one for what you might call elite players, and the other for anyone who wants to take part."

He added there were hopes the team would become one of the best in the country. Mr Hampton previously coached BHASVIC's side to the national college final.

The academy is the first stage in the development of the City College's sport department. It runs predominantly vocational courses and has not offered any sporting qualifications in the past.

Mr Hampton said he hoped to gradually introduce other sports, with netball, rugby and cricket all possibilities.

The college has close ties with Albion and has plans for a £30 million campus at the stadium, which are subject to funding and planning approval.

City College principal Phil Frier said: "It is generally accepted that Brighton and Hove as a city does not have the kind of sports provision at the level of other cities on the south coast.

"Over the last 12 months we at City College have been trying to do our bit to develop sports courses in the community.

"Sport is a great opportunity to engage hard to reach young people in education and we have worked closely with the Albion in further developing our outreach work."

Comments(27)

stan bailey says...
8:21pm Tue 17 Feb 09

thats just the ticket, a course for no hoper footballers. No doubt they have found a pot of funding pity there was nothing for the Woolie workers.