A FOOTBALL club has teamed up with a secondary school to help pupils pursue their dreams of a career in the game by training regularly alongside their studies.

Durham Women FC – which plays in the FA Women’s Championship, the second tier of women’s football in England – has teamed up with Kepier School in Houghton-le-Spring to run a Youth Development Programme.

It will launch in time for the new academic year and give male and female pupils at the school a chance regular football coaching, while ensuring their studies are not affected.

The programme is aimed at pupils who will be moving into Years 7 or 8 in September 2021 and wish to take up the opportunity to study at Kepier while forming part of the football programme.

Players will receive specialised coaching alongside a structured timetable of lessons with the aim of becoming a part of Durham Women FC’s dual-career pathway.

The timetable will ensure they get five sessions of coaching a week within school hours, scheduled so as not to affect core subjects.

The programme is the latest move from Durham Women to help youngsters across the North-East pursue their dreams of a career in football.

Pathway and development manager Maddy Wood said: “We are delighted to be working with Kepier moving forward.

“The club already has an established dual-career pathway with three Further Education partners (Durham Sixth Form Centre, Bede Sixth Form and Newcastle College) as well as a direct route into Higher Education with Durham University.

“After some consultation and the enthusiasm shown by Kepier to develop a similar programme for younger players, we see this as a crucial part of our pathway as it develops.

“Engaging with youth players in their educational setting and exposing them to the opportunities available to them both on and off the pitch is a key priority for the club, and we believe this partnership gives us a great opportunity to do that.”

School principal Nicola Ashton said: “This is an exciting venture with Durham Women Football Club.

“We have an excellent reputation for providing quality football programmes and this partnership with Durham Women will strengthen our offer further.”

Interested players currently in Year 6 or 7 can attend trials on Thursdays, April 1 and 8 from 9.30am to 11am at Houghton Kepier, DH4 5BH.

To register your attendance, email footballacademy@kepier.com or call 0191-5128960.