Sunderland College has announced a long-term partnership with Sunderland AFC Women to offer talented young footballers the opportunity to combine an outstanding education with an elite sports programme.
Through the collaboration, players within the club’s Professional Game Academy (PGA) will follow a bespoke dual career pathway with access to a wide range of academic and technical qualifications which are aligned to meet local skills needs and ensure progression into employment, further study or higher education.
On the pitch, the student-athletes will receive professional coaching including specialist technical sessions, strength and conditioning, performance analysis, sports science and regular athlete screening while representing the Black Cats against other academies from the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Toni Rhodes, Deputy CEO of Education Partnership North East (EPNE) and Sunderland College, said: “We are delighted to announce this exciting partnership with Sunderland AFC Women, which will offer student-athletes the opportunity to pursue their education alongside their passion for football.
“This collaboration underlines our commitment to providing young people with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in their chosen careers.”
In 2024, Sunderland College was rated Outstanding in all areas and ranked the top performing in the Northeast for 16-18 student achievement.
The college’s sports academies – which includes the Women’s Football Scholarship programme delivered in partnership with Foundation of Light – have enjoyed league and cup title triumphs with several players representing their countries, progressing to leading local clubs and accepting offers from top universities.
Dr Michele Di Mascio, Sunderland College’s Head of Sports Academies, Partnerships and Wellbeing, said: “The offer of a high performing football programme alongside outstanding education provides the city with an elite football academy. It is exciting for both student-athlete and college to be able to offer a dual career package, with a wide variety of subject choices.
“We have had amazing success so far and only anticipate this continuing alongside Sunderland AFC Women moving forward.”
PGAs were introduced by the Football Association in 2023 to identify and develop the very best talent in England and provide a high-performance club training environment that supports a dual career focus.
In addition to a high-quality coaching and education programme, student-athletes within the PGA will access specialist facilities including the Academy of Light and Sunderland College’s Bede and City campuses.
Sunderland AFC Women’s Academy has a long-standing within the women’s game, producing a host of England internationals including Jill Scott,and Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze and Jordan Nobbs.
In addition, several Sunderland AFC Women First Team Players have represented England Youth Age Groups.
Alex Clark, Sunderland AFC Women’s General Manager, said: “We are delighted to partner with Sunderland College to provide education opportunities for our PGA players. A key part of our PGA philosophy is to ensure that we equip our young players with not only football skills but also life skills and an excellent education to provide future opportunities outside of the football environment.”
To find out more about the partnership, visit www.sunderlandcollege.ac.uk/sports-academies.
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98% of our students progress to a positive destination
(*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).
Our achievement rates are well above the national average.
We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study.
(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)
We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.
