Bristol Rovers Football Club are delighted to formally announce a new, innovative partnership with the Academy of Sports and Education to create a Performance Academy in London as an extended recruitment tool to produce more home-grown players.
The partnership has been made possible through Academy Manager Chris Hargreaves, with the aim to provide an increased level of opportunity for talented 16-19 year old footballers from a wider area who could progress through the BRFC academy pathway.
Senior Academy staff from Bristol Rovers will oversee the Bristol Rovers London Performance Academy, who are operating the programme with their coaches that will be regularly monitoring the progress of each player. BRFC Academy staff will cast a watchful eye on the performance academy through fixtures and training sessions and work with the players to discuss their development, as they strive towards progressing through the BRFC pathway.
The academy programme will also offer young footballers the chance to continue studying while competing and give the opportunity to teenagers interested in football the chance to build a career in sport. A range of sporting qualifications and pathways are available, encompassing an innovative online platform that will be available to equip student-athletes with their education.
Chris Hargreaves said "Our aim is to create a sustainable, high performing and highly productive academy to produce homegrown talent for our First Team. By developing this partnership we are able to extend our academy recruitment areas that will see us scout a wider pool of talent from a hotspot area.
"This is a fantastic initiative and we are striving to make sure that it supports our Academy. The pathway to the first team is in place for high performing young players, and the performance academy will further nurture player's skills, as well as develop players who may have slipped through the net.’’
The players will work under the guidance of ASE Academy Director Jamie Strong to ensure the very best players outside the professional game are given the chance to develop as students and athletes.
Jamie Strong stated "We are delighted to be partnering with Bristol Rovers. They have an excellent football provision and a shared ethos in developing young footballers. We feel this partnership gives gifted young footballers, many with experience within an Academy system, a second chance.
"We are looking forward to developing and supporting players to progress through the Bristol Rovers FC pathway by ensuring a balance between their footballing development, their education and personal development."
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