Hopwood Hall College students sign contracts at Manchester City

Students from Hopwood Hall College at Manchester City

Students from Hopwood Hall College signed their Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport and Football contracts with Manchester City’s Community Project when they attended the recent Manchester City versus Southampton game at the Etihad Stadium.

Having signed their contracts in one of the club’s boardrooms, the students received a personal tour of the campuses they’ll be learning at, with the aim of one day becoming sports professionals themselves.

Their studying and training will take place at City’s recently developed training centre across from the Etihad, giving students from local areas across Greater Manchester and Lancashire the opportunity to develop themselves at a world class facility.

After their behind-the-scenes tour, the students made a visit to the pitch many of their footballing heroes have graced, where they posed for a group photo before being presented to the attending crowd.

Once the group had finished meeting members of the teaching team they’ll be working with, complimentary tickets to the game between the two Premier League clubs followed.

George Billingham, who signed his contract, commented: “Days like these are why we joined the course. I've been lucky enough to be a season ticket holder at City but never been behind the scenes or anywhere near the pitch. A great day all round. The match result could have been better though.”

The course stems from a working partnership between Manchester City Football Club and Hopwood Hall College, as part of an initiative between the two institutions to invest more into local communities’ young adults.

Mike Bruns, Program Manager for Uniform Public Services (UPS) and Sport in the Community at Hopwood Hall, said: “These students have experienced a day that no other college can offer, exploring the opportunities that City in the Community have delivered on. Today can only inspire the learners to achieve their aspirations.”

“We are committed to giving our learners unique encounters that provides them with motivation to succeed in their studies using football as a catalyst.”

Courses are delivered at the Etihad Stadium and students play in the BCS ECFA League. The course educates students on subjects including, sports coaching, psychology for sports performance and fitness training and programming in a wide ranging curriculum.