Yeovil Town Ladies F.C. has joined forces with Bridgwater College to provide an elite player performance pathway for young female footballers.

The partnership, which will see Bridgwater College become the lead education provider and a main sponsor for Yeovil Town Ladies F.C.¹ will serve to create a fully integrated progression route into the FA Women’s Super League together with an outstanding academic programme.

Through the programme, players aged 16+ will have access to over 13 hours of weekly training/gameplay, sports massage, video analysis and strength and conditioning. Students will access this comprehensive training schedule alongside their chosen academic programme at Bridgwater College which can range from entry level to degree level across a variety of subjects.

Students can apply for scholarships to help support their development, and on-site accommodation is available for those students from further afield.

The partnership will also see the introduction of a Yeovil Town Ladies FC and Team BC² Development Centre for U10, U12, U14 and U16 players and a Mini Development Centre for U4-U9 ages.

Jason Gunningham, Head of Sport at Bridgwater College said,

“This partnership will ensure all players can continue their academic studies in an Ofsted rated outstanding learning environment where they can combine their continued football development whilst gaining high quality academic qualifications”.  

Jamie Sherwood, Yeovil Town Ladies First Team Manager said,

“When I was appointed as First Team Manager I had an elite player pathway as part of the vision for my tenure here at the club and I feel the legacy of this is integral to the sustainability of the club to ensure we develop our own players in readiness for the FA WSL Senior Team.”

This 16 – 19 Educational Programme will allow players to pursue their dream of becoming elite female footballers in conjunction with their chosen studies whether that is a BTEC, A Levels or even a Degree course. The flexibility and the strength of the Educational Programme makes the partnership appealing to players.

Trevor Jenkins, Yeovil Town Ladies General Manager said,

“I’d like to thank Bridgwater College for supporting our club vision. The programme will be of great benefit to female players not just in Somerset, but also neighbouring counties. This is a very exciting time to be involved with Yeovil Town Ladies F.C., enabling players to realise their full potential to become the best they can be, both as footballers and people.”

Parents and young female footballers can find out more by attending Yeovil Town Ladies F.C.’s first home match of the season against Reading Women F.C. on 19th March 2015 at Sherborne Town Football Club; kick-off is 7.45pm. Reading’s team features Fran Kirby from the England World Cup squad.