Andover’s Sports students inspire young females in football

Andover College Sports students put girls from five local secondary schools through their football paces at a Hampshire tournament to encourage young females to play the beautiful game. Year 8 students from each of the local schools played at the event, held at John Hanson Community School in association with the Hampshire Football Association (FA).

As part of their studies, the BTEC Extended Diploma Sports students organised the tournament over the course of several weeks. Responsible for every aspect of the event, the students created and delivered all communications and marketing as well as arranging refereeing and coaching on the day. The results were a well-planned and expertly executed day and a thorough success in promoting girls to play sports.

First year student and event Chairman Tom Lewis said: “As project leader, I couldn’t have asked for a better team to co-ordinate this event and I believe our collaborative efforts had a very positive effect on the young players. Having a mix of male and female coaches and referees overseeing the tournament helped to inspire young girls to pursue playing football seriously and gave them something to aspire to, both on the day and in the future.”

Working alongside Tom and the Sports student co-ordinators was Dan Greenwood, Children & Young People Football Development Officer at the Hampshire FA. Dan said: “Andover College were fantastic in delivering the event. The students showed great leadership and organisational skills to ensure that the event was enjoyable for all. It was fantastic to see the students contribute to the growth of female football in the Andover area and we hope to work with the College again to deploy their leaders of the future.”

Hampshire FA are working hard to double the number of female participants in the game with the College’s full support. Schools participating at the event were John Hanson Community School, Harrow Way Community School, The Wellington Academy, Test Valley School and Testbourne Community School.

Andover College Sports lecturer Lloyd Kettlety strongly believes in the importance of equipping students with transferable skills in the Sports industry, in order for them to take full advantage of a diverse range of opportunities. He explains: “Organisation of a sports event forms a key module in the Sports curriculum, providing valuable life skills for students to boost employability after completing their studies. Time pressures, promotion and liaising with others professionally are all key skills used across various sports careers in the industry. Preparing students with this kind of knowledge and experience increases their opportunity to access a wider range of sporting roles and therefore the development of long and successful careers.”

Choose from a range of Sports courses to study at Andover College and secure yourself a place for September 2017 at: www.andover.ac.uk