Oldham Athletic Youth Team will be heading out to Portugal again in pre-season 2018 after successfully being awarded the Erasmus Plus funding to undergo another European project.
The trip will mirror the 2016 visit to Browns in Vilamoura where they will undergo an extensive training, games, education and cultural programme. An addition to the project this time around will be the involvement of the Oldham College tutor, Joe Batten, who is partly responsible for delivering the education element of the programme that the boys undertake as part of their apprenticeship. He will oversee specific units of their BTEC programme whilst in Portugal and alongside the delivery of the football and cultural aspects, all the staff concerned are really excited about the project that can be delivered. This further demonstrates the strength of our partnership we have with Oldham College and we are all delighted with our ongoing relationship.
Joe said: “It’s a great opportunity for our apprentices. They’re able to apply their football education in a more practical setting and on an international stage. They will come away with the skills required for future careers in sport and hopefully, see that opportunities lie at home and abroad.”
All the staff that will be involved in the trip – Tony Philliskirk, Simon Cooper, Pete Wild, Emma Constantine, Joe Batten & Natalie Seaton will gain invaluable staff CPD based around project organisation and delivery. They will also encounter interaction with other like minded people of different nationalities while delivering and observing the ongoing project.
The players themselves will hopefully gain a fantastic experience of training, playing and interacting with other nationalities in a foreign country. They will also participate in activities that will introduce them to cultures that they may have never experienced before. For example they will take part in other sports (Floorball), visit historical sites, learn to speak Portuguese and interact with other players/students of varying nationalities. The learning outcomes for all involved in the project will hopefully be as massively beneficial as they were in 2016.
Project leader and Academy Manager Tony Philliskirk was absolutely delighted to secure the funding once again and said: “I was absolutely over the moon when word came through that we had secured funding for another trip to Portugal in 2018. The benefits the staff and young players got from the 2016 trip exceeded even my highest expectations. It gave all involved experiences that will never be forgotten.
“Without the Erasmus Plus funding through Ecorys this type of project could never be delivered for our apprentices as financially we are not in a position to provide this ourselves. The hard work it takes in the application process and then delivering a successful project is well worthwhile when you see the outcomes it gives for all concerned.
“I’m really excited about leading the 2018 project and I’d personally like to thank Ecorys for their outstanding support and guidance in helping me to obtain the funding for the trip. I’d also like to thank Alan Francis and Oldham College and Stefan at Browns Sports and Leisure Club (who are our official partners for the project once again).
"Without their support another project would have been impossible and we would not have secured the funding required to undertake this exciting adventure.”
The Youth Team will be in Portugal between June 28 to July 11, 2018.