MORE than 80 pupils from four schools have taken part in a football themed business programme run by Brighton and Hove Albion’s official charity and American Express.

As part of Albion in the Community’s Schools Business Masterclasses initiative, students visit the American Express Community Stadium where they are given a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the football club and AITC are run.

They are then split into teams and set a series of tasks relating to key areas of business. Each team includes a volunteer from Amex, who helps the students complete the challenges.

Teams are encouraged to come up with a business idea for the stadium and then deliver a pitch to a panel of expert judges, often including key figures from within the football club.

Students from Blatchington Mill School, Patcham High School, Longhill High School and Varndean High School have taken part in the programme already this season, with more school business enterprise days planned at the stadium before the season’s end.

And the evidence is that the programme is having a real impact on students.

Of the students who have already taken part, 92 per cent said they felt AITC’s Schools Business Masterclasses had helped them improve their ability to communicate their ideas effectively to others.

Some 91 per cent said it had given them a broader understanding of the world of business; and the same number said they felt more confident generating ideas and solutions to real-life problems.

Paul Williams, schools manager at AITC, said: “It is great to be able to invite students into a Premier League football stadium and give them the opportunity to learn more about the business side of running a football club.”