Brackley Town Football Club and Magdalen College School are at the heart of our town engaging families and the wider community providing exceptional opportunities for young people. We have come together in partnership to provide our Football and Education Programme for post-16 students.

At Brackley Town Football Club the mission of our Football and Education Programme is to provide a great environment for young people to develop and grow by combining football development with us and further study at Magdalen College School Sixth Form. The programme is delivered by qualified and experienced coaches and teachers and provides a stepping stone to pursue a career in football or the wider sporting world including coaching, performance analysis, teaching and sports development. Students on the programme split their time between the football club and the Sixth Form, the two sites just a short town minute walk apart.

Brackley Town FC is the leading non-league club in Northamptonshire, FA Trophy winners at Wembley in 2018 and reaching the second round of the FA Cup again this season. St James Park provides a National League North environment for football with first rate facilities including floodlit pitch and AGP shared by the men’s and women’s first teams with our Education Programme students.

The programme of training with UEFA qualified coaches, development and fixtures is enhanced through video analysis of performance with students working to progress on their personalised development plan and a wider programme of enrichment activity including input from first team personnel including men’s and women’s managers, physios and coaches, trips to experience St George’s Park, home of the national team, and the UCFB at Wembley/The Etihad.

FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT:
Male and female students train three times each week with our UEFA qualified coaches and have the opportunity to represent the club at U18 level competing in league and cup fixtures at an appropriate level. Each student has a personalised football development plan to direct your training programme to build on strengths and improve your all-round game.

Facilities
The football programme is based at Brackley Town FC’s St James Park stadium with state of the art facilities including:

• 3G Pitch – we train a minimum of three times a week
• First team floodlit grass pitch
• Gym
• Classroom for performance analysis and classroom-based taught sessions
• The Venue, Anne Leighton Suite and boardroom for refreshments and use for special events

Our staff
Our staff team has an abundance of teaching and coaching experience, and is passionate about working with students and helping young people reach their fullest potential.

All of our football coaches are fully qualified to at least FA Level 2 and our Head of Football Coaching, Andy Thompson, is qualified UEFA coach. He works with our other football coaches to create and implement our training and development programme.

Added extras and student benefits
As well as our comprehensive education and training programme, we have a number of other incentives that our students enjoy. These include the opportunity to gain work and coaching experience with the club’s junior teams and volunteering opportunities with our charity, Brackley Town Saints Community Project, and the wider club such as working with our media team. There is also the opportunity for students to gain their Coaching and First Aid badges – we are one of the few education and football providers who can offer this!

Every student also receives a free match-day pass to every Brackley Town men’s and women’s first team home games.

Enrichment
Throughout the year students can experience a range of trips, events and interactive presentations that supplement the course and help students build their knowledge and understanding of the game and the wider football industry.

Progression
This programme prepares students to continue study into Higher Education at University. Others will seek employment and further training where they can specialise in the career path of their choice.

There are an abundance of exit routes available to students once they have completed their studies, with possible careers including:

PE Teacher
Sports Nutritionalist
Sports Performance Analyst
Sports Therapist
Sports Psychologist
Personal Trainer
Sports / Football Coach
Sports Massage Therapist
Leisure Manager
Sports Journalism
Special Forces – Army, RAF, Marines
Sports Scholarships in the USA
and much more!

ACADEMIC PROGRAMME:
Enrolled as a student at Magdalen College School Sixth Form you attend lessons at the school receiving pastoral care, guidance and support from the school’s experienced Sixth Form team and use of the Sixth Form study facilities. Your timetable combines study in the Sixth Form with your football programme.

You have three available curriculum pathways:

Core Football
Tutor Programme, PCSHE, NCFE Level 3, Volunteering, Training and Fixtures
Re-sit/Functional Skills Level 2 in English and / or Maths available
Recommended prior attainment: average grade 2 or higher at GCSE

Football Plus
Tutor Programme, PCSHE, NCFE L3, Volunteering, Training and Fixtures
EPQ and one GCSE re-sit, or one additional A Level course
Recommended prior attainment: average grade 4 or higher at GCSE including either English OR Maths at 4 or higher; Grade 3 in the subject for re-sit

Core Academic
Tutor Programme, PCSHE, Volunteering, EPQ, three A Level subjects
English OR Maths GCSE re-sit from grade 3, Training and Fixtures

Entry requirements: average grade 4 or higher at GCSE, including either English or Maths at 4 or higher. Note: some A Level courses have additional prior attainment or study requirements

NCFE Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport and Physical Activity (Sport and Exercise Science)

This is a full-time programme over two years designed to give learners skills, knowledge and an understanding of the sport and activity sector and is recognised by UCAS with up to 168 points. It provides opportunities for progression into employment or further study at university.

NCFE is a national awarding body and a leader in vocational and technical learning with real insight into how people learn.

Students complete 18 units of which three are mandatory and fifteen optional.

The three mandatory units are

• Exercise, Health and Lifestyle
• Preparing for a Career in Sport and Physical Activity
• Principles of Anatomy and Physiology

Optional units include

• Psychology for Sports Performance
• Sports Nutrition
• Sports Coaching
• Current Issues in Sport
• Fitness Training and Programming
• Leadership in Sport

Essential Skills
While completing this qualification learners will develop the knowledge, understanding and essential skills employers look for in employees. These range from familiar ‘key skills’ such as team working, independent learning and problem solving, to more tricky-to-measure skills such as:

• an appreciation for appropriate behaviour and dress
• appropriate interpersonal skills
• communicating with professional colleagues/peers and/or hierarchical seniors
• supporting other aspiring employees
• personal manners and deportment
• understanding work practices and how different roles and departments function within an organisation.

Next steps:
To apply for a place or to express your interest and find out more follow this link.