Brackley Town Football Club and Oxford and Cherwell Valley College have joined forces to provide developing football players the opportunity to continue their education whilst gaining regular professional coaching. OCVC can offer a range of courses at Levels 1, 2 and 3 as well as a number of Football Association and other professional qualifications including Sports Injuries and Coaching. Current Brackley Town players Luke Carnell and Jack Longford are OCVC students who have completed their first year on the programme at OCVC’s Oxford campus.
Luke Carnell Jack Longford
Students on the programme will have the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge gained through their BTEC Sport and Exercise Science course as well as coaching from our team of Level 3 coaches within the Club’s Junior Teams structure. These courses provide students with an excellent opportunity to enter the workplace in coaching and sports development areas as well as being an entry route to Higher Education (National Diploma Course is the equivalent of 3 A Levels).
For more information visit the OCVC website at http://www.ocvc.ac.uk/about-sport or email
We are thrilled and delighted with our new partnership with Brackley Town Football Club. It will give our students the opportunity to develop their football skills in a real working environment with continuous support from both the club and the college. Opportunities for progression into professional football for our talented players is now further extended to north Oxfordshire, and for those students who want to progress into Higher Education our programmes offer the perfect pathway.
Carole Nyssen
Curriculum Manager OCVC
From the football club’s point of view comment came from Chairman Sara Crannage and Director Francis Oliver, both have been involved in the development of the Partnership:
We are very excited about the prospect of co-hosting this course with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. This first year will be the start of what we hope will become a long term association with the college and the students at the Banbury Campus.
Many students locally attend the college, so to have a site within Brackey will give local players an opportunity to develop their skills within the town. The players that have come through OCVC SPORT course; Jack Longford and Luke Carnell, have both become members of the First Team squad here at Brackley Town which demonstrates both the quality of and the opportunities that can come from being on the course.
We would encourage people to come and support the side; their home games will be at St James Park on Wednesday afternoons, please check local press and our website for fixture information when available.
Sara Crannage
Chairman BTFC
We are thrilled to be associated with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College in this way. This is a real step forward for the football club and next year will be the first of many in what we see as a long term partnership with them. To see young players, like Luke (Carnell) and Jack (Longford) develop on the course and at the same time gain recognition with the First Team here at Brackley Town shows a clear progression for local players.
We would like to thank the staff from the college site in Banbury that have worked closely with us to get this project off the ground in such a short time scale in readiness for the start of term in September and we feel very privileged that they have developed this association with us.
Francis Oliver
Financial Director BTFC
The Course started at the beginning of September, the first training session took place at St James Park 17th Sept.
Fixtures
Date |
Opponents |
Venue |
11th Nov ‘09 |
Aylesbury |
Away |
18th Nov ‘09 |
Enfield |
Home |
25th Nov ‘09 |
Luton |
Away |
16th Dec ‘09 |
Dunstable |
Home |
13th Jan ‘10 |
Enfiled |
Away |
24th Feb |
Aylesbury |
Home |
TBC |
Dunstable |
Away |
