Five new staff join our community team to support the delivery and development of community programmes.
Over the past year, Colchester United Football in the Community (CUFITC) has been growing the number and capacity of current and new projects within our communities. To support this growth within the Health & Inclusion and Participation departments, new staff have been recruited to enhance the quality of our delivery and development of the work that is undertaken each day within a wide range of our community programmes.
We’d like to welcome the following staff to our Community Team:
Olivia Solanke
Olivia graduated university with a Fine Art degree, moving into full time employment with the Firstsite Art Gallery in Colchester. Her role included organising different artist workshops for children and their families to enjoy during the school holidays as well as engaging with schools in the local area. She is now the new CUFITC’s ‘Youth Engagement Officer’ within the Health & Inclusion Team leading on our NCS programme, alongside engaging with local schools and community groups within community safety, educational and mental health awareness workshops and programmes.
Olivia shared; “It’s fantastic to join Colchester United Football in the Community. I am really excited to begin my role and work with fantastic people in the community. Thank you to all the current staff who have supported me so far”.
Ed King
Ed joins Colchester United Football in The Community as the new ‘Health & Inclusion Officer’, having recently graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a 1st in Sport Science and Management. Ed’s coaching background has previously been in Cricket, as a ECB Level 2 coach with coaching experience across London and Essex. Ed joins the Health & Inclusion Team with a passion for engaging people through sport and using this as a positive vehicle to ignite change in their lives through the many projects he now leads.
Ed commented; “This was a great opportunity for myself to work within a fantastic setting within the Club’s Community Team. I am looking forward to implementing many different ideas and activities both myself and the club have moving forward to positively impact people’s lives within our communities”.
Mark Holder
Mark takes up his first full time role within football as the new ‘Football Development Officer’. In recent years Mark has lived and coached in the USA as well as across the grass roots game in the U.K. Mark joins us after working within the Community Development Centre Programme on a part time basis over the last two seasons. In his youth, Mark played at a high level at youth level representing the Peterborough, West Ham and Chelsea Academies.
Mark said; “To be able to work with our young players both in development centres and in our community is something I am delighted with. This opportunity is something that I can only see growing and developing further. Thank you to everyone for helping me settle in”.
Isaac Berry
Isaac heads to CUFITC Community as ‘Grass Roots Development Officer’ and Club ‘Academy Coach’. Isaac has worked in various positions both in England and in Wales, alongside recently completed his Masters in Football Coaching and his UEFA A licence. Isaac has also worked across both the male and female side of the game in recent years, which will support his role within the community in developing Grass Roots Football opportunities and relationships with local clubs, whilst also working within our academy programme.
Isaac noted; “I am delighted to have joined Colchester United Football in the Community and the Football Club’s Academy. To be able to work across the Grassroots Game, Development Centres, Academy and College is something that excites me. I look forward to working with all our players in our community and academy for this fantastic football club”.
Elliot McIver-Jones joins the Community Team as a full time Community Sports Coach having graduated from University at UCFB Etihad Campus in Manchester. Elliot shared; “To join Colchester United Football in the Community so soon after graduating university is a real achievement for me. I wanted to work here in this environment and contribute to the great work we do here at the club in the community. I have a passion for Education, supporting the delivery of the curriculum in schools and on the football pitch supporting the coaching opportunities available to young people in our community.”
CUFITC is committed to providing opportunities to staff to support in it’s development of the community projects and programmes it delivers to support our local communities.
If you’re interested in joining our Community Team please check out the employment opportunities we currently have available - https://jobs.aspiremediagroup.net/jobs-at-colchester-united/
If you’d like to learn more about the programmes and projects CUFITC delivers within our communities please visit - https://www.cu-fc.com/fitc/