Northumberland College and Morpeth Town AFC have agreed a long-term partnership

Northumberland College and Morpeth Town AFC have agreed a long-term partnership which will combine professional football coaching and competitive matches with quality technical education.

The Morpeth Town AFC Academy will see the college and Northern Premier League side offer a fully integrated programme with pathways into senior football, higher education and careers.

In a first for a full-time football academy, student-athletes can choose a wide range of technical courses aligned to local skills needs such as Engineering and Construction alongside Sport while playing in competitions including the National Football Youth League, the ECFA League and the prestigious FA Youth Cup.

Alongside their studies at the college’s Ashington Campus, student-athletes will receive sports science support with live GPS data analysis using the Catapult Playertek +, individualised strength and conditioning programmes and sports therapy.

Games are filmed on VEO cameras with coaches then taking players through match analysis sessions on a weekly basis to improve both technically and tactically as individuals and as a group.

The partnership will grow further in the coming years, with the academy offering land-based courses at Northumberland College’s top performing Kirkley Hall Campus. The college will also be moving its Ashington Campus to its new state-of-the-art campus at Wansbeck Business Park, which will boast an impressive range of first-class sports facilities.

Dr Michele Di Mascio, Head of Sports Academies, Partnerships and Wellbeing at Education Partnership North East (EPNE) said: “It is great to start a long-term partnership with Morpeth Town – We share the same values and use this to provide a fantastic learning opportunity for talented athletes. I’m excited to see where the future takes us, both on and off the pitch.

“Northumberland College and Morpeth Town are both aligned in their approach to ensuring the best outcomes for our student-athletes. Northumberland College, as part of EPNE, has the highest achievement rates in the North East and is a college that continues to develop, providing our student-athletes with a real dual career approach to education.

“Students will experience an outstanding football academy alongside a quality education, with both the Northumberland College and Morpeth Town providing the students with an array of support away from education, such as helping them secure USA scholarships.”

Led by FA Vase winning manager Nick Gray, student-athletes will receive impressive benefits that will further develop their talent, with all games taking place on the first team’s main 3G pitch.

Student-athlete Adam Gilley, who is studying Plumbing, said: “The football and academic side of things work together really well. I chose to do plumbing at college to have two different routes to go down should I need them.”

Adam’s fellow student-athlete, Jacob Walker added: “I think it’s a very good mix of my sport course and playing football. The balance between them both means I still get to train whilst also getting a really good education at the college.”

Academy graduates have already represented senior clubs at levels from Northern League Division 1 and 2, Northern Alliance and Wearside league clubs, with more than 10 players representing Morpeth Town’s first team in the Northern Premier League.

Steven Shaw, Football Operations Manager at Morpeth Town said: “We’re delighted to secure this new partnership with Northumberland College, the opportunity to secure a long-term relationship with an education provider of such standing who benefit from being in a group of colleges, offers our student athletes an array of opportunities to progress both academically as well as in football.

“The diverse range of qualifications that are on offer to our students means that we are able to offer an excellent post-16 education option to those growing up in the county of Northumberland which both ourselves and the college group are committed to.”