Rochdale AFC sign up students

Dave Manning, EDS coordinator at Rochdale AFC, Bradley Cassidy and Mike Bruns, UPS programme manager at Hopwood Hall

Students signed their Level Three BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport and Football contracts with Hopwood Hall College and the League One club at the game against Walsall.

The under 17 students were presented at the Crown Oil Arena to put pen to paper, officially joining one of the football league’s highest rated clubs for academy development and one of the area’s top further education colleges.

The students’ course comes from a partnership between Rochdale and Hopwood Hall College, with the college providing academic teaching and the football club training the students.

Rochdale won 4-0 on the night and the attending students felt like they were onto a win too.

Student Davide Bodei said: “I’m really excited to begin my training with the club, their reputation for development is really impressive to someone looking to break into the industry, especially when you think about their size and being a League One club.

“To know players like Craig Dawson have come through this club gives me real motivation and belief in what I can achieve here”.

Both the club and the college aim to bring higher levels of development to young adults from the immediate areas, giving opportunities for professional development that haven’t been as accessible in the past.

As well as being coached in football, students also learn about nutrition and fitness training at a professional level, anatomy and physiology in sport and injury rehabilitation among other lessons in a diverse curriculum.

Dave Manning, EDS Coordinator at Rochdale commented on his admiration of his students: “The boys have worked really hard with their education, training and matches.

"That they have been putting the same level of dedication in of all three of these elements is a key indicator to me that we have some really promising students.

"The staff at the club and at the college are very proud of them.”