The course offers 10 hours a week of professional coaching, fitness training, nutritional advice, strength and conditioning, and the opportunity to play a competitive games programme.

This provides a potential pathway for students to progress their football career at Leamington FC who play in the second tier of non league football in the Vanarama National League North.

The coaching staff are led by Mark Fogarty who is also a UEFA A License coach and holds an MSc in Sports directorship and Chris Knott, a UEFA A licensed coach who has over 15 years coaching experience, including work in clubs from step 2-6 and a professional club academy .

The academy is also supported by Kieran Dunbar and Kaiman Anderson, two current Leamington FC first team players, who deliver the programme on a day to day basis with the support of our other departments.

Neil Coker, Group Vice Principal Curriculum, WCG, said: “We are extremely excited about this new partnership with Leamington FC which builds on our already strong reputation for Sport at Moreton Morrell. The new Football Academy is part of our long term plan to further develop Moreton Morrell as a national centre for excellence in sport.

The partnership with Leamington FC will present young footballers with a very real opportunity to learn and train with top class coaches and will give many an excellent platform to launch a career in football or associate sport professions.

We are committed to providing the very best training for ambitious young footballers alongside excellent learning opportunities that will also open up progression to degree level courses. And this is only the start! This adds to our established Elite Equine Academy and young people should keep a look out for future developments as plans are in place for a dedicated Rugby Academy and a Leamington FC Women’s Football Academy.”

Leamington FC Chairman Jim Scott, added: “We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with Moreton Morrell College and the wider Warwickshire College Group in setting up the Leamington FC Academy. It has been our aim for some time to partner with a first-class education provider and with the college being local to us and within the local community it is an ideal fit. It’s bringing together a complete education package together with the opportunity for local youngsters to hone their football skills and provide a pathway that will hopefully one day see some of them playing at a high standard of non-league football with the Brakes. We both see this as merely the first step in a hoped for long and growing partnership.”

There are continuous trial opportunities for current year 11 and 12 students, usually during school holidays. Please contact chris.knott@leamingtonfc.co.uk to book a trial.

For more information about the about the elite academy go to www.wcg.ac.uk/leamingtonfc or call 0300 456 0049.