Head of Education & Employability Robert Peace provides an update on the Post-16 Football & Education programme following the conclusion of the second term of the 24/25 academic year.

This term our students have continued to progress with their studies as we head into their final term of the academic year. This term there have been exams, and the students have worked hard to ensure they achieve the best results. On the football side, I am pleased to say that Suffolk New College, who are represented by our Post-16 programme have reached the U18s Suffolk County Schools’ FA finals. This is the second year in a row they have reached the finals, with the mixed team being victorious last year. The finals will both be played on Wednesday, 7 May at Needham Market FC.

Our students have continued to progress within local football, and we have greater representation within steps 4 and 5 of the male football pyramid. Within the female pyramid we have students playing in steps 5 and 6 and making Ipswich Town Women U21s appearances. We are strengthening our relationships with local non-league teams, with the increased reputation of us providing a high level of coaching to best enhance the players development. We have students who will be participating in cup finals and title deciding matches over the next few weeks for their respected teams. I wish them all the best and look forward to hearing about their successes. This season we have introduced goal of the month, and this gets good coverage and celebrates the success of our players. We are planning our end of season awards evening that will take place in May, the evening is always bittersweet. We will have inevitably half the group graduating and progressing onto the next chapter of their lives, while also applauding their successes over the last twelve months.

Over the last term we have had numerous player and staff Q&A’s. Firstly, we had Cameron Burgess who provided an insight into his career and what it is like playing in the Premier League. Then we had Mark Hudson, who highlighted to the students his typical working day as Set-Play and First-Team Coach and his transition from professional player to manager and coach. In the week before the Women’s match at Portman Road, Natasha Thomas and Summer Hughes provided an insight into the development of the women’s provision within Ipswich Town FC. Finally, we had a bespoke Q&A with Tom Ball (Chief Financial Officer) and Stuart Cox (Director of Venue) in front of Suffolk New College BTEC business students and Northgate Sixth Form A-level business and economic students.

In the final week of term our students and staff visited University of Essex, with students taking part in lab-based tests to enhance their studies and greater their understanding of sports science. The students also got to see the facilities and campus to help them make informed decisions on their next steps after graduating from our programme. The annual post 16 programme photos took place in February, providing visual evidence of the growth of the programme. Key staff also had training on Mental Health First Aid and Neurodiversity, strengthening our knowledge on these key areas to help ensure the correct environment for all our students.

Recruitment continues to be strong for the 25/26 academic year, over the February half term we had two male teams play against Norwich. We also had a female team of potential students play against Ipswich Town Women U21s. These matches demonstrated the high level of students entering the programme next academic year, providing an exciting future for our football provision.

My continued thanks and appreciation go to my staff for all their hard work and Cotswold Gas Solutions for their support and sponsorship of the programme.

If you are interested in joining the Post-16 Football & Education programme, please contact robert.peace@itfcfoundation.co.uk.