The Newark Football Club Academy was established by manager Francois Zoko, with a view to providing young athletes and students with an environment to achieve their potential academically and in sport.
The new partnership with Newark College will provide a platform for Academy students to realistically progress on to first-team football with Newark Football Club (formerly Newark Flowserve FC) through training full-time four days a week, including competing at AoC Sport Regional Championship-level.
From September 2021, students will be matched on to Level 1 to 3 BTEC Sport options at Newark College and combine their four days of football with a first class, full-time Study Programme.
Stuart Reddington, Head of Sport and Service Sector at the Lincoln College Group said: “We are really excited to have confirmed a partnership alongside Newark FC, who are the number one football club in the town of Newark, competing at Step 5 of the Non-League football pyramid.
“This provides a fantastic opportunity initially for 16-19 male students of Newark and wider-Nottinghamshire to combine a high-quality full-time Study Programme at Newark College with a high-quality full-time Football Programme managed by Newark FC Academy and their Academy Manager, Francois Zoko.
Stuart, who is a former professional footballer, believes the collaboration can lead to some great opportunities within the sport.
“We feel strongly that we are able to provide the perfect environment both at the College, and through the Football Club, utilising the fantastic facilities at YMCA Newark, to develop dual-professionals ready for employment and/or further study in the Sport and Leisure sector.
“They’ll stand a very realistic chance of playing a high-level of semi-professional football with playing pathways into the Newark FC first team, and elsewhere upon graduation.”
Head of Newark Football Club Academy, Francois Zoko, said: “” Newark Football Club Academy is set as a bridge between grassroot football and professional academic football. Our academy is designed to give the best possible opportunities to talented young players between 16-19 years old.
“We are really delighted that the two important names of the Newark town community, are now working together to give the best possible chances to local and wider Nottinghamshire young players.
“Together we will provide a real and solid pathway to a career within football and the sport world, whether this is as a professional, semi-professional athlete or in a role supporting athletes within the industries.”
As the partnership develops, ambitions for the 2022/23 academic year are to broaden the education pathways to support aspiring footballers enrolling on more College Study Programmes that best suit their career aspirations.
To find out more about how you can get involved, contact Francois Zoko at Newark FC at francois.zoko@newarkfootball.club
For more on Newark Football Club Academy - visit their website here
