TWO Gateshead College students have bid au revoir to the North East to head off to coach football in the South of France this summer.
Tony Coe and Alan Oliver from Washington ave travelled to the La Carabasse holiday camp in the South of France where they are spending two months running football coaching sessions for five to 16 year olds.
The students, aged 19, attend Gateshead College’s Academy for Sport based at Gateshead Stadium.
They are among the first students to complete a new sport coaching course, which they progressed on to after completing the National Diploma in Sport Performance and Excellence at the college last year.
Before leaving, Alan said: “I cannot wait, it should be a good experience and it will also look great on our CVs.
“We have enjoyed our time at college and when this course started it was ideal for us because we knew we wanted to specialise in coaching.”
The NVQ Level Two in Sports Coaching and Activity Leadership was introduced at Gateshead College in September last year and is proving a huge success.
Course lecturer Steve Common said: “I am really pleased with what all the students on the course have achieved, especially since they are the first to study this qualification.
“We know there is a demand in the industry for Level Two qualified coaches, and hopefully with this course we can help fill some of those gaps, and get the students into the kind of jobs they want.
Other students from the course have been accepted on scholarships at universities in the USA and four are working with Newcastle United FC’s community coaching scheme.
