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University partnership proves a top scorer

A junior football team have scooped a league title less than a year after teaming up with the University.

Norton and Stockton under-15’s won the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ Junior Football Alliance first division championship. The squad’s success comes after a successful partnership with the University, in which students provided fitness testing and coaching to help explore the players’ athletic potential.

Students from the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise degree treated the team as live case studies as part of their coaching placement module. They also went into sessions with the team to help out throughout the season.

The partnership was initiated by Paddy Hill, one of the team’s three coaches. He contacted Matt Wright, a Sports Development Officer in the University’s Sport and Wellbeing service, who in turn suggested working with the students.

Heading in the right direction Paddy said: ‘We couldn’t be more pleased with the way in which things have turned out. Player development is at the core of what we are trying to achieve, so to end up as champions is really the icing on the cake and tells us that we are heading in the right direction.

‘Our thanks go to the students who have certainly put the squad through their paces and we have reaped the benefit of player improvement.

‘We are hoping that this is just the start of our exciting partnership and we look forward to rolling the programme out amongst different age groups within the club.’

Sadie Lee Pinchbeck, 20, was one of the students who worked with the squad.

She said: ‘We worked with them for six sessions over six months, doing lots of fitness tests and recording data. The players worked really hard and there was a noticeable difference in their performance by the end.’

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