Man Utd launch 'Friends of the Academy' to support local grassroots
Head of Academy Nick Cox says the scheme is "designed to support the local football ecosystem"
Written by Training Ground Guru — April 15, 2022
MANCHESTER UNITED have launched a ‘Friends of the Academy’ initiative that will support the “local football ecosystem” by sharing resources and knowledge with coaches, schools, junior clubs and young players across the North West.
The opportunity “provides a unique chance for local clubs and schools to directly engage with Manchester United,” the club said.
Coaches, of any level, are invited to register HERE to access development opportunities including coaching clinics, guest speaker events and access to accredited FA CPD hours.
United said that building relationships with grassroots schools and clubs would also “inform and improve” their core Academy programme.
The initiative is being led by Manchester United’s Emerging Talent Programme, run by Jen Mildenhall.
United’s Head of Academy, Nick Cox, said: “The Friends of Academy initiative is yet another aspect of our programme that is specifically designed to support the local football ecosystem.
“Involving and engaging with our community is fundamental to everything that we do at the Academy, and we are therefore hugely committed to our presence and activity across the region.
“This unique opportunity to share resources and expertise allows us to create a wider coaching network that will directly benefit and develop junior football across the North West.
“We hope that many coaches, schools and clubs take this fantastic opportunity to directly learn and engage with our world-leading youth development system.
The first session, ‘An Introduction to Manchester United Academy’ with Nick Cox, will be held on Wednesday May 4th at 18:30 BST. All new members of the ‘Friends of Academy’ programme are welcome to join.
