Education course just another example of a transformed Port Vale FC
New owners Carol and John Shanahan have transformed Port Vale FC both on and off the pitch in recent months.
The Valiants have embarked on a lucrative cup run, are riding high in the League Two table and appear to have a settled team under manager John Askey. There’s a wave of positivity at the club which has even resulted in a visit from famous fan Robbie Williams but it’s not just the players and the form on the pitch which has been earning praise from the supporters. While the team’s fortunes are an ever-changing dynamic, the club’s owners clearly have longer-term plans to progress the club off the pitch.
While the team’s fortunes are an ever-changing dynamic, the club’s owners clearly have longer-term plans to progress the club off the pitch…
As a result, the club has become more focused on its position at the centre of the Burslem community and that move includes a range of initiatives involving the Port Vale Foundation Trust.
Recently the club announced that the Port Vale Foundation have teamed up with the University of South Wales and Football League Trust to launch a brand-new foundation degree. It’s designed for aspiring coaches to study a higher education course whilst also gaining practical experience in the local community.
A football club may not appear to be the obvious place to continue your education but there are a host of education options for those wanting to study. If you’re searching online for a term like “essay plan UK” you will find a range of services while the Internet also offers online courses, degrees and evening classes. It’s therefore to Vale’s credit that the club are diversifying into this area.
The course – called the “Foundation Degree in Community Football Coaching and Development” has “been designed in conjunction with the Football League Trust in order to identify the type of skills and qualities that are required to work within a professional football clubs’ community department or national governing bodies in areas of growth such as social inclusion, community coaching and football development.”
It sounds like a worthy addition to the range of opportunities now available at the club. Tom Sherratt, Head of Community at Port Vale agrees telling the official Port Vale website that “We have been working towards getting the higher education offer in place for nearly 12 months and we can’t wait to get started and start delivering the course with University of South Wales from September next year. The course has proven successful in other areas of the country and we are more than confident we will replicate the success here at Port Vale.”
Port Vale Foundation’s Football Development Manager, Kyle Adams added “We are delighted to be able to extend our educational offer with our partnership with the University of South Wales. We already have a strong post-16 football & education programme and this now means we have the next tier in the pathway available for our current students allowing them to move on to higher education but continue with the club. The foundation degree will also complement our existing football pathway which now sees us working with children as young as two years old right through to degree students.”
In addition to this project the Foundation Trust has been busy in other areas including – a plan to encourage girls and boys into playing football, a Christmas charity toy appeal, a sleep-out to raise awareness of the homeless and a charity project to provide shirts to children in India.
There will be an open evening for the Foundation Degree on 9th December 2019 at Port Vale Football Club’s Valiant Suite. To register your place or for more information please email [email protected]