Student spotlight

I found out about Everton Football College through my teammates at the time. I moved from my first college to this one because I wanted the opportunity to play football and develop as a player alongside studying for a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport.

I enjoy the flexibility on the timetable, with lessons in the morning and training in the afternoon. In my first year at the college, I went to Valencia with my fellow classmates, where we had the opportunity to be trained by local coaches, whilst coaching a local youth team playing against local sides. We also found time to take in a La Liga game with Valencia v Real Betis.

I now have the opportunity to train with Everton Women's Under-23s on a regular basis as well as being able to attain distinctions in all of my units from my first year. These grades will be extremely useful for my next steps once I leave the college, since I have the intention of either getting a scholarship to move to the USA or going to University in this country.

In terms of future career paths I currently have my eyes on two different jobs: becoming a youth coach in football or becoming a performance analyst.

It was never my ambition to continue in education after I finished my GCSEs, as I struggled in most subjects at school. However, due to my passion for all things football including Everton Football Club, I decided to look into Everton Football College as an option. I spent a morning with staff and students, who were very informative and helpful, and they gave me the confidence to enrol on the course.

This proved to be the best decision I could have made thanks to the support of the staff and the aspiration of Everton College to provide the best opportunities for its students. Over the past two years, I have spent over two weeks in Aruba, coaching local children and have been to America on two separate occasions; competing in the prestigious Dallas Cup and New York Cup.

Studying the FdSc Sport Development & Coaching degree with Everton has really helped me develop as a person. It has challenged me academically, but with the help and support from my tutor, I was able to complete my assignment work to a high level. I have enjoyed the range of assessments that the degree allows. They help me relate the theory work into practical coaching situations to improve my practice and understanding.

In 2022, I began my work placement. I was lucky enough to secure a placement with Everton in the Community's Premier League Kicks programme. This work placement has allowed me to develop, not just as a coach but as a person, experiencing the real working world with Everton trained coaches. It's helped me develop as a coach and increased my career network. This opportunity has been amazing!

Everton also helped me gain more qualifications by facilitating a range of different coaching courses. One I particularly enjoyed was a Sports Coaching UK inclusive sports workshop, which taught us how to include people with different disabilities into our sessions. Taking part in this workshop has helped me develop as a coach because now I can modify my session to include everyone.