Could new partnership find the next Peterborough Northern Stars?

But when developing young players both in a footballing and educational sense, they’re set to fly alongside those clubs thanks to a new partnership which was recently announced.

Northern Star will work with the Higher Sports Academy to deliver a wide range of programmes for young students, meaning they will become a BTEC education and football centre similar to those at Leeds and Fulham and with the intention of developing players’ skills on the pitch as well as in the classroom.

The Higher Sports Academy provides daily sports coaching sessions along with a weekly games programme for players aged from 16-18 whilst allowing them to also study for internationally-recognised qualifications.

For Higher Sports Academy’s UK operations manager, Glenn Quirke, it’s a partnership he’s been excited to put together.

He said: “The Higher Sports Academy is delighted to be working with Peterborough Northern Star FC as a partner in this exciting football education programme.

“It will provide student athletes with relevant and contemporary industry-focused knowledge to enable them to develop their career pathways, possibly as football coaches, analysts, physiotherapists or whatever they decide to do.”

The Higher Sports Academy has many years of experience in professional football and academy work. Players get to use excellent facilities and receive 6-8 hours of coaching a week from professional coaches and 12 hours of education, whilst also playing competitive fixtures in college leagues.

Training takes place on grass and 3G pitches with full-time staff in place and professional football management support available. Additional showcase fixtures are also put on.

As well as the links to Leeds United and Fulham, there are also connections with clubs in Denmark, Spain and Cyprus.

In terms of education, 16-18 year-olds can attain a BTEC Level Three extended diploma in sport over two years, with the chance to continue and secure a Higher National Certificate (one year), Higher National Diploma (two years) or a BSc honours degree (three years) in post-18 education.

Robert Zirpolo, chairman of Peterborough Northern Star, commented: “We are excited to start this new partnership with Higher Sports Academy.

“We ran our own academy scheme back in 2016/17 – the PNSFC Scholarship – which was a success. If we were ever going to revisit this again it would be in the form of a partnership and it would have to be with the right partner.

“I’ve been very impressed with Higher Sports Academy and you don’t set up relationships with clubs like Leeds United and Fulham unless you’re running a slick, professional operation. I look forward to seeing the progress made and the superb education opportunities this will give.”

The first trial date will be Wednesday, January 29 from 7pm-9pm at Peterborough Northern Star FC. The training session will be followed by a presentation/Q&A. To register your interest or make further enquiries, Glenn Quirke can be contacted directly by e-mail at [email protected] or contact the club on [email protected].