The Leeds United Foundation recently launched an exciting partnership with Leeds City College to provide a full-time education programme for young females who aspire to play football at a high level.

The Elite Female Academy Programme is being delivered in collaboration with the Leeds United Girls Regional Talent Centre (RTC) ensuring that those looking to develop and create a career out of playing football are also committed to an academic programme of study alongside their training and competitive fixtures.

Abigail Lee, who heads up the Female Pathway within the club’s official charity, has spoken to LUTV about the programme and opportunities available for young females: “The female pathway usually stops at 16 within the Foundation in terms of the youth pathway, so to now be able to offer the players an opportunity to progress their education and full time football is fantastic, it was an opportunity we couldn’t resist to be honest.

“It’s not just for our RTC players, it’s for players who are from different RTC programmes and different grassroots clubs to join our pathway and offer that dual banding of education as well as the football. It’s about creating a professional environment and it is key that we embed our values from the RTC into this college programme as well – making the players feel comfortable and able to express themselves, which is so important for their development.”

Coaches from the Leeds United Foundation that are involved in delivering the football programme are all UEFA B/A qualified, with access also granted to other staff members that work within the Girls Academy including physios, nutritionists, and performance analysts.

Those applying for the course will be able to combine their full-time studies with Leeds City College alongside a full-holistic training programme that includes training four times every week as well as a fixture schedule where you will face teams across the country, receiving regular performance reviews and developing your knowledge on game analysis.

For more information on the Elite Female Academy Programme, watch here, or for details on the application process, please contact Abigail.Lee@leedsunited.com.