New City College female football education programme shortlisted in Europe’s biggest awards event in the women’s game | FE News

New City College(@NewCityCol) is proud to announce that its NCC Education and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Development Centre programme has been shortlisted for an award at the Women’s Football Awards 2024!

Celebrating outstanding achievement and recognising the people, organisations and brands who promote women’s football, the event is Europe’s biggest awards presentation in women’s football.

Sponsored by the Premier League, it celebrates all levels of the game, from grassroots to superstar players on the pitch and is attended by some of the biggest names in international football.

The 2024 presentation is taking place in London on May 30^th and will be hosted by former Lioness Eni Aluko and Sky Sports presenter Jamie Carragher.

The NCC Education and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Development Centre, which is offered to young female students with talent and potential, has been shortlisted for the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award.

It is an honour for the programme, which gives students an outstanding education as well as the chance to work or play at a professional level. The college is shortlisted among 9 other organisations including big names such as Sky Sports, Everton, West Ham United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The programme has been extremely successful since it was introduced at New City College. It is dedicated to creating pathways which are inclusive and accessible for young women, giving them excellent opportunities in football training and coaching, and also the wider sports sector.

Just recently New City College’s Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Team won through their regional heats to reach the finals of the Association of Colleges (AoC) National Championships 2024, which took place at the University of Nottingham. It was a first for NCC – and they were the only team in London to be represented at the tournament finals.

And earlier in the season, player Grace Craven, who is part of the programme, travelled to Europe to play in a match against Italy after being selected for the England Colleges FA national team.

Grace said:

“I’m really pleased to have had such amazing opportunities which have come about through the programme that I’m doing at New City College. Even my part-time job – where I coach football in local schools – I got through the course.

“It has built my confidence and I am 100 per cent grateful to the Spurs coaches who have helped develop my game and my strategic thinking. It’s all helping me to look to the future where I’d love to play at a really high level and even aspire to be a Lioness – playing for the England national women’s team.”

Lyon Theoharous, NCC Women’s Head Coach, said: “We work with students who come from all demographics and who have many different life experiences which are all channelled into a common passion – football.

“I am grateful to have experienced watching the students on our programme build the necessary skills to take into their classrooms to become better students, and more importantly, to leave the programme in a better place than when they started college.

“They learn what it’s like to come together as a team, regardless of their background and their past, to work, train and compete together.”

Kane White, Deputy Group Curriculum Director for Sport at NCC, said the college was proud to have been shortlisted in the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion category in such a prestigious awards event and everyone was hoping the NCC Education and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Development Centre programme would be announced as the winner at the presentation evening!