The programme primarily comprises of the following:
The football programme is led and coordinated by Richard Forsyth, an ex-professional footballer with 15 years playing experience with various clubs including Birmingham City FC, Stoke City FC, Blackpool FC, Peterborough United FC, Cheltenham Town FC, Stourbridge FC, Kidderminster Harriers FC, and Northwich Victoria FC. Richard has also coached at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Academy for 7 years on their U9-18 programme. He is a qualified PE Teacher with over 15 years experience of teaching.
The academic progress and pastoral care of students involved in the programme is led by Mr Grimes, Assistant Principal for Key Stage 5.
Those joining the football programme undertake a programme of study that is sufficient to qualify as a full-time student and allow for progression to university, degree apprenticeships or higher level apprenticeships. This programme can comprise of A level courses and/ or BTEC courses depending on the student’s interests, long-term career goals and academic ability.
Weekly football training is built around lessons. Students participate in full team training on Monday afternoons and Friday afternoons. Other training and fitness sessions can be joined depending on the student’s academic timetable and choice of courses.
Competitive matches against other school and college teams participating in the AOC league are held on Wednesday afternoons and take place either home or away. Transportation is always provided to and from away matches. The team for each match is announced on the previous Friday, depending on commitment and attendance to training. Students causing concern academically on their A level and /or BTEC courses are not permitted to participate in matches.
Our scholarship is not designed to steer all those who join it towards one specific direction. At heart, the fact that it combines competitive team sport with academic study and coaching qualifications should enable those to join it to pursue many different career options. In recent years our scholars have graduated and progressed to the following:
Students opting to progress to either university of employment at the end of the football programme are fully supported with their applications on a weekly basis. In recent years students opting to progress to higher education have joined sports-related courses including sports science, sports management, physiotherapy and sports coaching. Others have used the qualifications gained during the programme to progress to entirely different courses including engineering and architecture.
In order to join the football programme, students are expected to have a good level of fitness and be a competent football player. Those applying for a place on the scholarship are also required to undertake a football trial which is used to judge ability and the potential to be put forward to Tividale FC’s floodlit team
In addition, those applying for the programme are required to meet the normal entry requirements for the A level and/or BTEC courses they are interested in taking alongside training. Full details of the specific entry requirements for every course can be found in our A level course listing document and vocational pathways document.
You can apply for a place on the football programme by completing either an A level, vocational or medicine pathway application form and then indicating on the form that you wish to join the programme.
Application forms can be found here.