Double success for Bishop Burton College Sports Academies
FINALISTS: Bishop Burton College’s Men’s Football Academy in action
By Rick Lyon
Bishop Burton College is celebrating two of its hugely successful Sports Academies becoming finalists in leading national competitions.
The Men’s Football Academy have secured a place in the final of the English Schools Football Association (ESFA) Super League National Cup and the Junior Men’s Rugby Academy reached the final of the Association of Colleges (AoC) Premier Rugby Championship.
The Football Academy’s recent success comes a year on from reaching the final of the England Colleges Football Association (ECFA) Premier National Cup. This year, on a winning streak, the team have been crowned ECFA Premier League winners for the second time, finishing the competition unbeaten and winning all 12 of their matches.
The team hopes to continue this success, playing Harris City Academy Crystal Palace on May 10 in the ESFA Super League National Cup final at the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke, the home of Stoke City Football Club.
‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY’: The academy will play at the home of Stoke City
Director of Football James Bennett said: “I’m extremely proud of how the college football academy has performed again this year. After the disappointment of losing to South Devon in the ECFA Premier Cup final last year, the players have been so determined to reach another national final this year.
“Over 150 schools and colleges entered this competition at the start of the year, so reaching the final is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. To play at Stoke City Football Club’s stadium will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of our players, so everyone is extremely excited.”
The Junior Men’s Rugby Academy, who beat fellow land-based colleges Hartpury and Myerscough on their way to the final, played Newman College in a thrilling game on April 26 at Walsall RFC.
Despite Newman College remaining unbeaten in the championship, with a final score of 24 to Bishop Burton’s 10, Evan Woodworth, Head of ACE Boys Rugby, was pleased with the team’s performance.
He said: “To have reached the final of such a competitive tournament is a fantastic achievement. Whilst it’s always disappointing not to be crowned champions, they should be incredibly proud of the energy, enthusiasm and hard work they have consistently demonstrated throughout training and on the pitch.
“We’re not disheartened and can’t wait to compete again next year!”
The college’s highly successful performance Sports Academies allow talented athletes to access top-class coaching and training, alongside their academic studies. Open to students on any course, academy members work alongside professional performance coaches and are given the opportunity to compete at a national level.
Director of Sport and Sports Partnerships Sarah Milton said: “To have not one, but two of our academy teams reach the finals of these prestigious competitions is absolutely amazing.
PROUD: The Junior Men’s Rugby Academy reached the finals of the Association of Colleges Premier Rugby championship
“It’s testament to the fact that, thanks to the highly expert team and their dedication, passion and enthusiasm, Bishop Burton delivers some of the strongest football and rugby programmes in the country.
“I am extremely proud of all the incredibly talented young sportsmen and staff involved.”
In the wake of this recent success, the college continues to look to the future and is searching for new and promising young talent to join the academies.
Budding footballers in Year 11 are invited to attend the college’s forthcoming pre-season schedule. Anyone interested should directly contact James Bennett by emailing james.bennett@bishopburton.ac.uk.
To find out more about the Bishop Burton College Sports Academies visit https://www.bishopburton.ac.uk/sports-and-equine-academy