Our Foundation Degree programme has welcomed students from a range of backgrounds and experiences in the short time it has been running. We are proud that our course manages to attract a multitude of different students who are looking to gain a range of different skills and experiences. Today we are looking at George Hughes, and finding out what brought him to our programme and how he has found his first year of study at Shrewsbury Town in the Community.
George was no stranger to Shrewsbury Town when he joined us in September. He spent 12 years as part of the Shrewsbury Town Academy working his way through the system before signing a professional contract with Airbus in the Welsh Premier League in June 2019. In September 2019 George decided to continue his journey with Shrewsbury Town, joining us as a student on our Community Football Coaching and Development Degree.
Having already completed his FA Level 2 Coaching Qualification, George was able to step straight into coaching in our Advanced Development Centres, working with players who would be on a similar pathway to the one he went through himself at his time with Shrewsbury Town. Now George is also working on his UEFA B License as he looks to develop his coaching skills even further. In his short time at Shrewsbury Town in the Community, George has been able to gain a wealth of experience in a number of different environments, along with working within our Football Development team, he has also taken sessions in our college enrichment programme, and delivered in local primary schools. This experience in Primary Schools will be particularly valuable for George as he is looking to move into becoming a PE teacher after completing his degree, and in such a competitive field, having had that time working in schools will be vital. George feels that having the opportunity to put the knowledge from his studies into practise with work experience has been a key factor in his progression so far. “The degree has given me lots of opportunities to put the course theory into practice through the different coaching opportunities at Shrewsbury Town in the Community”
Sean McAllister, our Football Development Coordinator has spent a lot of time working closely with George and is full of praise for how he has handled his sessions and studies so far. “George has been a valuable member of staff, his sessions are well organised and he displays a good knowledge and understanding of the game. The players appreciate his coaching, he makes it enjoyable and makes sure they are engaged throughout.”
George is now nearing the end of his 1st year of study with us and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.
