NULC students shine at national athletics championships

Students from the Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) Academy of Sport won a record nine medals at the British Colleges Sport National Athletics Championships this week.

The NULC Academyof Sport students excelled in the two day Championships on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 May and came away with an unmatched haul of two Gold, four Silver and three Bronze medals.

Trevor Humphreys, Academy of Sport Manager, said: “The haul of medals which the NULC Academy of Sport students have returned with firmly places NULC amongst the countries most elite colleges for Athletics.”

James Taylor, aged 17 from Stoke, won Gold in the 110m Hurdles. Earlier in the year James was awarded Junior Individual of the Year at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards held by The Sentinel Newspaper. 

James, who studies the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport at NULC, became the Midlands Youth Champion in August 2011 when he sped to a clear victory in the under-17’s 100m hurdles in 13.37 seconds. That same month, he also collected relay silver in the 4x100m sprint at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Turkey.

Tom Guy

Trevor said: “James has had a tough week this week missing out on carrying the Olympic Torch, so for him to bounce back and win Gold in the BCS Championships goes to show what a dedicated and professional athlete he really is.”

Former Haywood Engineering College student Tom Guy, aged 18 from Mill Hill, also won Gold in the 400m. Tom is in his final year at NULC studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science and is on target to achieve triple Distinction in his vocational qualification later this month.

A total of 22 students from the award-winning NULC Academy of Sport made the long journey to Gateshead International Athletics Stadium to compete, cheered on by peers and fellow athletes from colleges across the country.

To find out more about Sport at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/sport or contact Trevor Humphreys on 01782 254269 or email sport@nulc.ac.uk.

College match raises £1200 for charity

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) is hosted a charity football match at the Britannia Stadium in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

World Cup legend Gordon Banks and former Port Vale boss John Rudge captained the teams, which are made up of 20 NULC Academy of Sport students and 10 staff members from the College.

The match will took place on Tuesday 22 May and students have raised over £1200 so far.

Visit the NULC Flickr page for more photographs from the day.

College students awarded for sporting success

Newcastle-under-LymeCollege (NULC) is celebrating after sporting students were honoured by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

Two students from College’s Academy of Sport were awarded at the recent Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Sports Council Awards.

Natalie Slater, aged 18 from Kidsgrove is in her second year at the Colleges Sixth Form Centre where she studies A Level’s in PE, Psychology and Art and Design.  The former Maryhill High School pupil is also a member of the Colleges award winning Academy of Sport and was awarded Senior Athlete of the Year for her role as a Table Tennis player.

Lucy Hayes, aged 17 from Clayton is in her first year at the College, studying AS Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics with Mechanics and Physics.  Lucy was awarded runner-up in the Senior Athlete of the Year category. 

Trevor Humphreys,    NULCAcademy of Sport Manager, said: “We’re delighted that students from the College’s Academy of Sport have been recognised for their sporting success.  Natalie and Lucy are two very bright stars from the Academy and strive to achieve the best, so for them to be recognised for their hard work and achievement is great.“

The Colleges Men’s Volleyball and Basketball Academy squads were also nominated for Team of the Year and received a special mention during the awards ceremony for their record breaking achievements on the court this year.

Trevor continued: “Both the College and the students have worked extremely hard this year to ensure that Newcastle-under-Lyme College is one of the best colleges for Sport in the West Midlands.”

The awards were held on Thursday 24 May at the Civic Offices in Merrial Street, Newcastle and the presentation was made by the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme Trevor Hambleton.

To find out more about the Academy of Sport at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/sport or contact Trevor Humphreys on 01782 254269, or email sport@nulc.ac.uk.

Newcastle under lyme College/Sainsbury’s Charity World Cup 5 Aside

On Wednesday 24^th May, the college, along with Sainsbury’s held a five a-side tournament on the AstroTurf in aid of Gordon Bank’s charity. Each player participating, paid 2 pound and all proceeds went to his charity, the Alzheimer’s Society.

The day was based around the 2012 European Championships, and each squad got allocated a team from the European championships.

Each game was 8 minutes long, and 16 teams each team played in a group stage with the top 2 teams going through to the knockout stages.

The teams that progressed to the knock out stages were, from group A, Russia and Czech Republic. From group B, Germany and Portugal. From group C, Spain and Croatia and group D France and England. These games were again 8 minutes each way, with the winning team progressing through.

The 2 teams that made it through to the final were Spain and Croatia. This game was changed to 5 minutes each way increasing the game by 2minutes. It was a nervy finish to the game with Croatia leading 3-2. However, Spain pulled a goal back to make it 3-3 and the game was then taken to penalties. Each team had 5 penalties with each team member taking one each. Spain ended up winning the resulting penalty shootout 4-2 to win the trophy.

Overall, the day was a huge success with over 100 students taking part, partly granted to the fine weather. We raised a lot of money for Gordon Bank’s charity and the standard of football was brilliant.

Thanks to everyone that took part.

Aspiring footballers attend professional coaching day at Villa Park

NULC Football Academy student Josh Brown

Fifteen talented footballers from Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s Football Academy will be taking part in a Coaching Day organised by the Professional Football Association (PFA).

The students will be travelling to Aston Villa Football Club on Wednesday 16 May, where they will meet a host of professional footballers and will be put through their paces on a professional training day at Villa Park.

Ali Cope, Liam Chadwick, Josh Gordon, Jordan Cole, Liam Keegans, Jordan Roberts, Liam Dalgarno, Kyle Bailey, Josh Foxall, Tom Brown, Tom McGuinness, Leon Probert, Jordan Rigby, Charlie Ryles and Toby Bell are all members of the award-winning NULC Academy of Sport.

As part of the Academy programme, they are able to receive coaching and play football at a competitive level while completing their college studies.

The PFA Coaching Day is part of a rolling programme of events that members of the NULC Football Academy take part in throughout the year.

Dave Sutton, Football Academy Co-ordinator at NULC, said: “It’ll be a great experience for our students to train with elite professional footballers. Here at NULC we’re dedicated to providing the best sporting opportunities possible to our students, so for them to train with industry professionals will really boost their skills and confidence.”

He continued: “We already have a number of students playing at regional and national level and the Academy of Sport as a whole has had a record breaking year. I have high hopes for the Football Academy next season.”

Earlier in the year it was reported that NULC Football Academy student Josh Brown, aged 17 from Werrington, was selected for the England College’s Football Squad. Josh progressed through four rounds of trials to be selected for the 22-man squad.

NULC Academy of Sport is committed to being one of the top sports institutions within the West Midlands and currently offers eight sports academies including Men’s and Ladies Football, Basketball, Netball, Ruby, Athletics, Badminton and Volleyball.

To find out more about the NULC Academy of Sport visit www.nulc.ac.uk/sport or contact the Academy of Sport office on 01782 254269 or email sport@nulc.ac.uk.

College students join forces with football legends

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) is hosting a charity football match at the Britannia Stadium in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

World Cup legend Gordon Banks and former Port Vale boss John Rudge will captain the teams, which are made up of 20 NULC Academy of Sport students and 10 staff members from the College.

The match will kick off at 2.30pm on Tuesday 22 May. The game is open to staff, students and the general public and spectators will be asked for a minimum donation of £1 at the turnstiles.

Trevor Humphreys, Academy of Sport Manager at NULC said: “The match has been organised as an incentive for the Academy of Sport students and to reward them for all the hard work and commitment they show to both the College and their chosen sport.”

Players need to raise a minimum of £20 sponsorship to take part on the day and the team that raises the most money will be awarded home team status, where they will get the opportunity to use the Stoke City home changing rooms and wear the Stoke City strip.

Trevor added: “Gordon Banks is a great supporter of NULC and regularly gives his time to come along to college events and meet students, so we wanted to give something back and have agreed that all sponsorship money and proceeds from the event will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society, which is Gordon’s chosen charity.”

To find out more about the match or to make a donation, please contact Academy of Sport Manager Trevor Humphreys by emailing trevor.humphreys@nulc.ac.uk or telephone 01782 254269.

College Volleyball teams crowned national champions

Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s (NULC) Academy of Sport is celebrating after both the Men’s and Mixed Volleyball teams were crowned National Champions at the British Colleges National Cup Finals.

The National Cup Finals were held on Wednesday 25 April at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. The teams were cheered on by a number of fellow NULC students who travelled to support their team.

The Mixed Volleyball squad overcame Taunton College from Southampton with a 2-0 final score.

The Men’s squad beat Barton Peveril Sixth Form College from Hampshire, again by 2-0.  

Trevor Humphreys, NULC Academy of Sport Manager, said: “Week after week, TEAM:NULC are coming home with tremendous scores and being crowned National Champions is a great end to a tough year. The students from the NULC Academy of Sport are extremely dedicated and disciplined and continue to raise the standard of sport played amongst their peers.“

Trevor continued: “The coaches have been instrumental in the Volleyball teams’ success, putting in extra work and transporting the team all over the country to allow them to play.”

Along the way TEAM:NULC fought off strong competition from colleges across the country including St Thomas Moore College in Birmingham, Dudley College, King Edward VI Sixth Form College in Stourbridge, Richard Huish College Sixth Form in Devon and Middleborough College.

To find out more about the Academy of Sport at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/sport or contact Trevor Humphreys on 01782 254269, or email sport@nulc.ac.uk