August 2011
Newcastle youngsters Get into
football
Newcastle United Foundation and The Prince's
Trust are putting 14 young people through their paces this month as
part of a Get into Football Coaching course.
The programme supports local young people aged 16 to 25, who are
struggling at school or are long-term unemployed and want to get
into coaching. During the process they will also gain real life
coaching experience plus an FA Level One coaching qualification and
first aid certificate.
The aim is to help young people into work, education or training
with a particular focus on sports coaching. One person who was
helped by the programme and now works as a coach for the Newcastle
United Foundation is James Keep.
After becoming unemployed James, now aged 25, was struggling to
find work or anything he could use to move into a career. He was
looking towards volunteering in football coaching but was finding
opportunities hard to come by. He then heard about The Trust
and was successful in getting a place on the Get into Football
Coaching course.
James dedicated himself to the programme and following the
course he started following the course he started volunteering for
the Foundation. He was then offered a job, first as a sessional
coach, and has just been appointed as a tutor on the Family
Football Programme.
James said:
Before going on the course, I really didn’t
know what direction my life would take. I wanted a career in sports
coaching but when I was unemployed I felt like I didn’t know which
way to turn. The Trust and the Foundation really helped give me the
confidence and the skills to work in the coaching industry. It gave
me the belief that I could work in football and I have loved every
minute of working at the Foundation.
Last week NUFC ran their fourth Get Into Football course as part
of The Trust's Football Initiative, run in partnership with
the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association
(PFA).
Neil Winskill, Football Development Manager at the Foundation
who is leading the programme alongside colleague and FA Tutor Ian
Skinner, said:
This is the fourth time we have run Get Into
Football Coaching. It a great way to give young people skills
needed for employment and practical work experience for their CV.
James, who now works for the Foundation, is a great example of how
Get Into can act as a genuine pathway into employment.
About the Foundation
Newcastle United Foundation works in partnership with The
Prince’s Trust on a number of initiatives to help disadvantaged
young people into jobs.
Judith Stothard, Head of Programmes at The Trust in the North
East, said:
Once again we are delighted to be working in
partnership with NUFC Foundation, giving unemployed young people a
chance to move forward.
To find out more about Get into courses in
your area, please call 0800 842 842.