In June 2020 Moulton College and AFC Rushden & Diamonds announced a new partnership, starting in September 2020.

The partnership is a collaborative venture providing Club scholars with a full-time education within world-class sports facilities.

The partnership will support AFC Rushden & Diamonds U19 scholars to gain essential qualifications, whilst catering for elite and development squads competing in national and regional leagues. Competitions will include the National Youth Alliance League and FA Youth Cup as well as the AoC Championship and Regional Leagues.

Students will be supported by UEFA A and B licensed coaches both at the College, and through links to professional services available through the Club. Extensive coaching and playing opportunities will be available to scholars across the Club’s professional development phase, and the partnership will provide a pathway into semi-professional football for U18s and U21s.

In addition, the collaborative venture seeks to support the growing trend of developing Futsal within post-16 education. The partnership will make use of the specialised indoor futsal arena at Moulton College Pitsford campus, operating a male and female programme in combination with the full-time football offer.

Ryan Farmer, Academy Director at AFC Rushden & Diamonds said: “AFC Rushden & Diamonds are delighted to announce our Scholarship collaboration with Moulton College for September 2020 onwards.  Throughout the process of developing this relationship with Moulton College, we have been extremely impressed by the Sports Leadership Team and amazing facilities that the College has to offer.  These factors together with the mutually aligned values shared between our organisations suggest that the future will be bright for the post-16 Scholars, the College and the Football Club.”

Tim Dudding, Head of Football at Moulton College added: “We are excited to partner with such an innovative and ambitious club to deliver an outstanding programme for post-16 scholars. The Club and its board of directors have been incredibly supportive of our positive vision, and we are looking forward to what the future holds for us both.”

A key concern for players within semi-professional academies is managing the dual-athlete lifestyle that is supportive of both their sporting and academic aims. With athlete lifestyle support available, this partnership hopes to address this:

Tim added: “We want to offer facilities and coaching in an atmosphere that is conducive to the development of every person in terms of self-discipline, good attitude and teamwork. We want to provide students with the maximum opportunity to develop their personal, social, educational and sporting skills with their welfare and enjoyment a priority in every decision we make.”

 To find out more about Moulton College visit www.moulton.ac.uk.