Opportunities to combine football with academic studies
Oxford United's successful Football & Education Academy is now recruiting for September. Students (both male and female) have the chance to combine playing football with academic studies and their involvement in the course not only provides an important BTEC diploma, but also offers an opportunity into professional football.
Talented female footballers will earn the chance to play for United's WSL development squad, while last year's students Miles Welch-Hayes and Lewis Hayden have been offered scholarships in the club's youth team.
Head of Education Ben Thomas said: “We're using football as a tool to get people engaged in football who might not have been otherwise. They come here, they play football for their two years and they get a full-time football programme, so they're basically treated as a professional would be.
“We do value the education quite highly, in terms of giving our students something to leave with. The attraction is that they could gain entry via the back door to the professional game if they've been missed at the younger age groups, but at the same time it's giving them a worthwhile education qualification which can lead them to other fields and other areas of employment.”
For more information on our Football & Education Academy, see the video below.