Members of the Development Squad took part in a unique new programme
Members of the Development Squad were at Beckton to take part in a unique new programme and learn about the variety of work carried out by the Foundation.
The visit came as part of the new Hammers in the Community initiative, designed to offer Dev Squad players an extension of their scholarship education and to discover their potential beyond football.
The innovative project will give players the opportunity to gain applied learning across the community sports sector and receive regular mentoring from the Foundation managers.
Over the course of the scheme, the young Hammers will be exposed to many work related experiences in order to develop interpersonal skills which will be invaluable in the world outside of football.
Terry Westley, Academy Director, was keen to stress the importance of further education past player’s scholarship.
“It is vital that we develop the guys as people as well as footballers and it’s something we firmly believe in. The education for scholars aged 16-18 is very strong in this country, but suddenly you become a professional footballer at 18 or 19 like the players here today and there’s nothing in place.
“We’re really trying to be innovative and put an education programme in place which is going to involve working with the community and different projects. It’s a win for everybody; it’s a win for the local programme participants taking part and it’s a win for our young professionals as they get to mix in different circles and realise how fortunate they are.”
These views were echoed by Academy graduate, Josh Cullen, who remembered his time within local projects as a youngster.
“This programme’s a great way to develop your communication and interpersonal skills across the different Foundation projects. It’s always a pleasure to come down and show that we’re still interested in where we come from. We’ve been at some of these types of programmes when we were younger until we moved into the Academy so it’s always nice to get involved with the local community.”
Academy Integration Officer, Michael Ward was delighted with the enthusiasm of the young Hammers and was looking forward to their progression along the programme.
“The guys grabbed the opportunity with both hands and showed their willingness to engage with their different initiatives we run. After sampling the variety of projects on offer at the Foundation, they’ll go away and have a think about which strand they will be able to make the biggest contribution towards and over the next three months they’ll be getting stuck in.”
The visit came as part of the new Hammers in the Community initiative, designed to offer Dev Squad players an extension of their scholarship education and to discover their potential beyond football.
The innovative project will give players the opportunity to gain applied learning across the community sports sector and receive regular mentoring from the Foundation managers.
Over the course of the scheme, the young Hammers will be exposed to many work related experiences in order to develop interpersonal skills which will be invaluable in the world outside of football.
Terry Westley, Academy Director, was keen to stress the importance of further education past player’s scholarship.
“It is vital that we develop the guys as people as well as footballers and it’s something we firmly believe in. The education for scholars aged 16-18 is very strong in this country, but suddenly you become a professional footballer at 18 or 19 like the players here today and there’s nothing in place.
“We’re really trying to be innovative and put an education programme in place which is going to involve working with the community and different projects. It’s a win for everybody; it’s a win for the local programme participants taking part and it’s a win for our young professionals as they get to mix in different circles and realise how fortunate they are.”
These views were echoed by Academy graduate, Josh Cullen, who remembered his time within local projects as a youngster.
“This programme’s a great way to develop your communication and interpersonal skills across the different Foundation projects. It’s always a pleasure to come down and show that we’re still interested in where we come from. We’ve been at some of these types of programmes when we were younger until we moved into the Academy so it’s always nice to get involved with the local community.”
Academy Integration Officer, Michael Ward was delighted with the enthusiasm of the young Hammers and was looking forward to their progression along the programme.
“The guys grabbed the opportunity with both hands and showed their willingness to engage with their different initiatives we run. After sampling the variety of projects on offer at the Foundation, they’ll go away and have a think about which strand they will be able to make the biggest contribution towards and over the next three months they’ll be getting stuck in.”