Three players from the Football College Programme at Thurstable Sixth Form were recently invited in with the Club’s Scholars for a week’s training.
In the lead up to the end of the season, three talented players within our current crop of U19 Colchester United Football in the Community (CUFITC) Football College Students at Thurstable Sixth Form were invited to train with the Academy for a week at Florence Park, the Colchester United Training Ground. Antoine Atmadjov, Vitor Branca and Joshua Fenton-Jones have had impressive seasons during the EFL Community & Education football Alliance season and deserved an opportunity to go and test themselves with the clubs U18 scholars.
With the Football College Programme Head Coach and former Colchester United First Team Player Louis Dunne working closely with Liam Bailey and Adam Lewis (U18 Academy Coaching Staff at the Club) surrounding this opportunity, they were delighted to bring the boys in to take a look at them and provide feedback on their progress and test them up with the Club’s Youth Team Players.
Adam Lewis, U18 Assistant Coach shared: “It was positive to have some of the College Players join us for training and give us the chance to look at players coming out of the Football College programme at Thurstable. The pathway at our club is open and we’re always ready to give someone an opportunity to test themselves at this level if they deserve it.”
Louis Dunne, the Football College Head Coach at Thurstable said: “The three boys did well in a very competitive and high quality environment. It has now motivated them and the others on our programme to one day reach those potential levels. We look forward to welcoming the new intake of students next year and there are still spaces available but places are limited due to the high demand we have received for the 2022/23 season.”
Antoine Atmadjov, one of the College players who had the opportunity to train with the scholars commented on his experience; “To test myself against the scholars and get feedback on how and what I need to improve on to strive for that level was a fantastic opportunity. I’m very grateful to Louis on the College programme and the U18 Coaching Staff at the club for giving me this chance to show them what I can do. I’m working hard on and off the pitch at the college, my grassroots club and in my own time to work on that feedback to help me take my development forward and push for another opportunity to show the club what I can do!”
The CUFITC Football College Programme strives to support boys in Years 12 & 13 with their academic studies while developing them as young men and footballers.
We still have very limited spaces available in our new Student intake for the 2022/23 season.
For more information on the CUFITC Football College Programme please visit - https://www.cu-fc.com/fitc/our-programmes/education/college-programmes/male-college-programme/
To find out how Colchester United got on in the EFL Community & Education football Alliance South East Division 2 (A Team) and Division 3 (B Team) during the 2021/22 season please visit - https://fulltime.thefa.com/index.html?league=215118561
For more information regarding our Partner Sixth Form at Thrustable please visit - https://www.thurstable.co.uk/sixth-form
If you would like to speak to us directly about opportunities in the 2022/23 season and upcoming trial opportunities please contact - louis.dunne@colchesterunited.net