Story added: 23rd October 2015

The Community Sports Foundation (CSF) and East Norfolk Sixth Form Collegelaunched a new partnership on Tuesday, that will greatly enhance the range of sports programmes and courses available to students in the local area.

Special guest Declan Rudd, Norwich City FC’s first team goalkeeper, joined College staff and pupils as well as representatives from CSF at the College to help mark the occasion. The event officially confirmed the new ‘CSF Hub’ status of the College that will see two new football-based programmes offered to students from September 2016.

The Boys’ Elite Football Programme will be the College’s first full-time joint education and football offering, giving students the chance to study for a BTEC Level-3 in Sport while training with CSF coaches and representing the College in fixtures.

Alongside the boys offering is a new Girls’ Futsal Scholarship programme, which will be the first of its kind in the region. The girls, who will be based at the College, will represent Norwich City FC in fixtures against other professional football clubs across the country, while studying for a BTEC Level-3 in Sport.

Norwich City shotstopper Declan Rudd, who toured the College’s facilities following a Q&A session at the launch, reflected: “I really enjoyed meeting students and teachers at the College today. As someone who grew up in Norfolk, it’s great to see first-hand these new opportunities being given to local footballers, which support not just their football development but their education too.”

Dr. Catherine Richards, Principal of East Norfolk Sixth Form College said: “East Norfolk Sixth Form College has a legacy of outstanding sporting achievement and our link with the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation will enable us to take our sport to another level. We are delighted to have this prestigious link with the club and to be able to enhance the range of activities that we offer our students. We share the Foundation’s vision to help students achieve their goals by delivering quality, innovative activities through football and sport and I am proud that we can offer this unique opportunity to our current and future students.”

Ian Thornton, Director at CSF added: “We’re delighted to be able to announce the start of a new partnership between the Norwich City Community Sport Foundation and East Norfolk Sixth Form College. This exciting new chapter in our relationship will see innovative programmes such as the Girls’ Futsal Scholarship & the Elite Football offerings give a new generation of local talented young people additional avenues to develop excellence, not just on the field of play but off it too. Through this partnership, CSF, Norwich City Football Club & the College can continue to inspire young people through sport for many years to come.”

East Norfolk Sixth Form College joins Lynn Grove High School and Ormiston Venture Academy as the third CSF Hub site in the Great Yarmouth & Gorleston region.