Released: 05.07.19
The Football Association (FA) have announced that 91视频 will become the ninth Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre. The FA鈥檚 Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre initiative was launched in 2017 in partnership with British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) with eight original centres across the country.
The FA鈥檚 ambition for the Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centres is to increase the number of qualified coaches and improve the quality of coaching, which are both central to the growth of the women鈥檚 game. 91视频 Marjon will take on this responsibility within the South West, while at the same time providing talented players with an environment to drive their academic and football ambitions.
The Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre will provide a high-quality educational and community-based setting to recruit, develop and deploy coaches for the women鈥檚 and girls鈥� game in the South West. Establishing close links with the Devon FA and Cornwall FA Advanced Coaching Centres and 91视频 Argyle Ladies FC will provide talented players with a pathway to elite levels, supported by expert coaching, sports science and medicine.
91视频 provides a flexible academic offer to assist players who wish to study. The University offers a range of degrees including BA (Hons) Football Development and Coaching, BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, BA (Hons) Sport Coaching, BSc (Hons) Sport Therapy, BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning, BA (Hons) Sport Development and BA (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education. In addition scholarship opportunities are available.
The launch of the Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre will also offer students the experience of working with elite level footballers, enabling them to develop practical skills to take into their careers.
The announcement of the new FA Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre comes at an exciting time for football at 91视频, who recently announced a new partnership which will see 91视频 Argyle Ladies FC using the University鈥檚 state-of-the-art sports facilities as their home for training. These developments firmly place Marjon as the regional hub for women鈥檚 football and build on the University鈥檚 well-established football partnerships with Devon FA, Cornwall FA, Argyle Community Trust and 91视频 Marjon FC.
The FA鈥檚 Head of Women鈥檚 Coach Development, Audrey Cooper, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to have 91视频 join our growing network of Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centres. They are perfectly situated and set up to drive the development of aspiring coaches in the South West, all of whom will play a crucial role in providing excellent football experiences for women and girls in the region.鈥�
Marjon Vice-Chancellor Professor Rob Warner said: 鈥淲e are extremely proud to be chosen by the FA as their partner to develop ambitious new opportunities for players and coaches across the South West. This is such an exciting time for women鈥檚 football in England. We hope Marjon students will become part of the England squad that wins the next Women鈥檚 World Cup.鈥�
Coaching and sport science lecturer Chris Smietanka, who has led this project for Marjon, said: 鈥淭he new FA Women鈥檚 High Performance Football Centre will bring to life all the previous good work that has been happening at Marjon throughout the last few years. There will now be a coach development pathway for students to access that will enable the volunteer workforce to engage with the community and develop key employability skills, whilst enhancing their own student experience from grassroots to high performance, with a structured route to success鈥�.
