David Moorcroft Presents Team West Midlands with the Wilkinson Sword

The former Great Britain middle and long distance runner, David Moorcroft, presented the West Midlands region with the Wilkinson Sword at the recent West Midlands Community Sports Awards at Aston Villa Football Club. The inaugural event, which took place on Wednesday 4^th December, recognised the quality, commitment and dedication of grassroots sport in the region of which the Association of Colleges (AoC) West Midlands was a principal supporter.
 

From left to right: David Moorcroft, students Beth Wragg, Will Richardson and BCS Regional Co-ordinator, Liz Fletcher.

(Image courtesy of the Black County BeActive Partnership)

The evening also saw Team GB Gymnast and Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Medalist, Kristian Thomas, present Alex Giles from Dudley College with the AoC West Midlands Further Education Sport – Student Role Model of the Year Award. Runners up Beth Wragg (Newcastle – under – Lyme College) and Matthew Arnold (Hereward College) also received Highly Commended Awards as all three students were recognised for being a positive role model by going that extra mile to help out in the college community.

The Wilkinson Sword is currently touring around the colleges within the West Midlands region in recognition of Team West Midlands success by winning the 2013 National Championships back in April. Since the Championships the sword has been to Birmingham Met, King Edward VI Stourbridge, Worcester Sixth Form, Worcester College of Technology, North Warwickshire and Hinckley, North East Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Hereford Sixth Form Colleges before its stop off at Aston Villa.

 

Cross country runner for Team West Mids, Joe Donkin and the catering students of Worcester College of Technology with the Wilkinson Sword. 

(Images courtesy of Worcester College of Technology)

On the evening Beth Wragg was joined by Will Richardson, Vice-Captain of the National Championship winning Men’s Volleyball Team from Newcastle-under-Lyme College to collect the Wilkinson Sword.  Beth and Will collected the sword on behalf of the 2013 Team West Midlands captains Jordan Adelburgh (Newcastle-under-Lyme College) and Sophie Masterson (Hartpury College) who were unable to make the awards.

The Wilkinson Sword will be carrying on its journey around the West Midlands colleges before arriving at the University of Bath for the 36^th BCS National Championships on the 4 – 6^th April 2014 with the region hoping to retain the title.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results- Wednesday 11th December

ACADEMY OF SPORT

SPORTS RESULTS THIS WEEK- WEDNESDAY 11^th December

 

 

·       Midland Floodlit Men’s Football- (home) TEAM:NULC vs Sutton Coldfield Town FC

 

·       Category 1 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 1-2 South Gloucestershire & Stroud College

 

·       Category 2 Men's Football – (away) TEAM:NULC 1-1 Sandwell Academy College

 

·       Category 3 Men's Football – (away) TEAM:NULC 0-6 Stafford College 1^st

 

·       Category 4 Men’s Football- (home) TEAM:NULC 6-2 Stoke-on-Trent College 1^st

 

·       Category 5 Men’s Football (home) TEAM:NULC 6-2 Staffordshire University 3^rd

 

·       Men’s Basketball- (away) TEAM:NULC 88-41 University College Birmingham

 

·       Ladies Netball- (home) TEAM:NULC 50-25 Hereford 6^th Form College

 

·       Ladies Basketball- (home) TEAM:NULC 22-6 Staffordshire University

 

·       Men’s Rugby- (away) TEAM:NULC 19-0 Birmingham Metropolitan College

 

Performance of the Week

This has to go to the men's rugby squad as they travelled down to Birmingham Metropolitan College and came away with a great 19-0 win. Great results lads and well done to all.

 

 

TEAM:NULC Sports Results- Wednesday 4th December

ACADEMY OF SPORT

SPORTS RESULTS THIS WEEK- WEDNESDAY 4^th December

 

·        Category 1 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 0-1 Tresham College

 

·        Category 2 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 2-4 Smestow College

 

·        Category 3 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 0-3 TEAM:NULC Cat 4 College

 

·        Men’s Basketball- (home) TEAM:NULC 64-23 Solihull College

 

·        Ladies Netball- (home) TEAM:NULC 53-33 Cirencester College

 

·        Ladies Basketball- (away) TEAM:NULC 38-34 Dudley College

 

·       Men’s Rugby- (home) TEAM:NULC 10-14 Henley College Coventry

 

 

Performance of the Week

This week it has to go to the ladies netball squad who managed to win convincingly against historical rivals Cirencester College. It further re-enforces them as serious title contenders within the West Midlands Premier League.

 

STARS LAUNCH NIGHT AT NULC WITH OLYMPIAN BETH TWEDDLE!

On Wednesday 20 March, 120 athletes and parents attended the North Staffordshire STARS event at NULC.  STARS squad members are pupils aged from 11-16 who attend a North Staffordshire school and are national standard in their sport.  The City of Stoke Gymnastics Club elite squad also attended the evening.  2 workshops were put on to inspire and inform the young athletes in their future career.

BRIAN BARTON is a national trainer with UK Anti Doping and worked at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and is a former coach for British Cycling.  He delivered a session about drugs in sport and the testing procedure.  It was very informative both for the athletes and the parents about how they will be drug tested and what supplements to avoid taking.

BETH TWEDDLE is Britain’s greatest ever female gymnast with an Olympic Bronze 2012 Medal, triple World Champion, six times European Champion, Commonwealth Champion and seven times National Champion.  We were extremely pleased for Beth to be able to come to NULC in her busy schedule.  Beth delivered an inspirational session on how she developed from being a talented youngster to becoming a World Champion and Olympic medallist.  The athletes and parents were encouraged to ask questions, as well as having photographs with Beth and her Olympic medal.

The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all and gave the athletes a lot of information to think about and how it relates to their own sporting careers and life.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results 27th Notvember

TEAM:NULC Sports Results

 

·     
    NULC Category 1 Men's Football- (home) TEAM:NULC 6 - 3 Mid-Cheshire College


    NULC Category 2 Men's Football - (away) TEAM:NULC 1 - 1 Keele University


    NULC Category 3 Men's Football - (home) TEAM:NULC 2 - 5 South City Birmingham


    NULC Category 5 Men's Football - (home) TEAM:NULC 1 - 3 Codsall College

  
    NULC Netball - (home) TEAM:NULC 54 - 9 Staffordshire University


    NULC Men's Basketball - (away) TEAM:NULC 62 - 23 Loughborough
   

    A huge well done to both the ladies volleyball team and ladies basketball team who played in their regional tournament. Unfortunately none of them won, but they did a great job! The ladies volleyball successfully made it to the finals, and the ladies basketball successfully made it to the semi-finals. 



   
     Performance of the week.


   Performance of the week this week goes to the men's category 1 football squad. A huge well done to the lads winning 6 - 3, this victory allows them to progress into the next round of the cup.

Newcastle-under-Lyme College Student is shortlisted for Regional Award

Beth Wragg, a BTEC Sports student and Academy Volleyball player has been nominated for the Student Role Model of the Year Award that is presented by the Association of Colleges.

Keeping the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics’ 2012 games legacy alive, AoC West Midlands are delighted to partner with BBC West Midlands and the regional network of County Sports Partnerships for the 2013 West Midlands Community Sports Awards.

The inaugural ceremony will be celebrating and showcasing the highest calibre, commitment and dedication to grassroots community sport in the region.

As principal supporter of this event, AoC West Midlands will be raising the profile of FE sport through the Further Education Sport - Student Role Model of the Year Award.

This new accolade will be awarded to a student from the Region’s colleges who has not only exceeded their sporting goals but also used sports as a means for developing life and employability skills.  The award winner will be an inspirational role model, making significant impact in the college community.

On the night, the County Sports Partnerships in the West Midlands will be joining forces to highlight and celebrate sport achievements of individuals, dedicated volunteers, coaches, and group projects from around the region – presenting the Newcomer, Community Project, Community Coach and Community Club of the Year Awards. Tension will mount as winners of the Newcomer and three Community Award categories from each of the six county partnerships’ own award winners contest for the ultimate West Midlands Community Sports Award. In addition, the BBC Unsung Hero’s Award will be unveiled – with the winner subsequently representing the region at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards later that month.

 Everyone at Newcastle-under-Lyme College is very proud of Beth's achievements and we all want to wish her luck on the evening.

 

 

This prestigious event will be hosted by BBC Midlands Today presenters Nick Owen and Mary Rhodes who will be supported by a number of sport personalities. Martin Doel, Chief Executive of AoC will make a personal address and will look forward to making a formal presentation of the Wilkinson Sword – won by the West Midlands regional teams at this year’s British Colleges Sport national championships.

We very much hope that you can join us for this prestigious event celebrating sport achievement across the region.

College students celebrate more national sporting success

Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s Academy of Sport is celebrating as 5 more students have recently been selected for national representative trials. Jessica Barnes has been selected for the English Colleges under 19’s North ladies Netball squad, Kieran Bedford for the English Colleges under 19 men’s Hockey Squad, and Peter Manning, Zac Chadwick and Taz Wara for the English Colleges under 19 Men’s North Rugby Squad. All of the students went through a number of local, regional and national trials to achieve this amazing success.

The 3 students formed a group of 15 students that reached the West Midlands squads, and further re-enforces Newcastle-under-Lyme’s College’s status as one of the top in the West Midlands.   

All of the students form part of the Colleges Elite Sports Performance programme and regularly compete for the colleges Academy programmes.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results - 13th November

TEAM:NULC Sports Results

 

·     
    NULC Category 2 Men's Football- (home) TEAM:NULC 1 - 0 Birmingham Metropolitan


    NULC Category 3 Men's Football - (away) TEAM:NULC 4 - 3 Henley College Coventry


    NULC Category 4 Men's Football - (home) TEAM:NULC 1 - 5 Staffordshire University


    NULC Category 5 Men's Football - (home) TEAM:NULC 2 - 3 JCB Academy

   
   
    Performance of the week.


   Performance of the week this week goes to the men's category 3 football squad. A huge well done to the lads as they held strong winning 4-3 on penalties. Well done lads.

England Hockey Futures Cup

England Hockey's Futures Cup is the flagship event in the player development pathway organised by England Hockey.  The event is a fantastic opportunity for young players to launch their hockey career and experience what it is like to take part in a top international hockey tournament.

All the young players at The Futures Cup are aged between 15 and 18, and have been training hard at their Junior Regional Performance Centres (JRPC). From each of the 4 clusters of centres teams are selected at both Under 16 and under 18 to compete in the Futures representing the Wessex Leopards, the Mercia Lynx, the Pennine Pumas or the Saxon Tigers.

As well as gaining vital competitive experience, the Futures Cup offers players an opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities to the National Age Group (NAG) U16 and U18 coaches, who will be in attendance and looking for the best and brightest to represent England.

Kieran Bedford from NULC was selected as a goalkeeper for the Midlands (Mercia Lynx) under 18 boys team.

The squad of players met at Wednesday lunchtime at the team hotel in Walsall, settled in and then went to Cannock Hockey Club for an intensive training session. There was a match each day and then sessions run by the coaches which used video analysis to evaluate individual and team performance after each game.

Kieran played in the first game against Pennine Pumas, which Mercia Lynx won 4-1, and in the third game which they won 2-1 with Kieran making some excellent saves to ensure a spot in the final. Mercia Lynx were the eventual tournament winners, beating Wessex Tigers 4-2 in the final.

 

Kieran’s performances were recognised by not only his own coaches and players who voted him player of the tournament, but his excellent performance was recognised by the National Age Group coaches and he has been invited to the England Under 18 Assessment Camp at the end of November.

NULC Elite Sports Students Visit Loughborough University

Pupils from Newcastle-under-Lyme College have visited Loughborough University to sample for themselves why the institution is so renowned for sport.

The pupils started the visit with a tour of the world class facilities that were used by Team GB Olympians during their final preparations for the London 2012 Games.

Pupils also took part in a workshop delivered by Nicola Rawlinson who as well as being one of the best female golfers in the UK is also studying for a degree at the University. 

Nicola gave the pupils an insight into what a typical day for an elite athlete is like.

During the visit the pupils also attended a number of interactive workshops and activities delivered by the University’s academics and sports development staff, including sessions on: Sports Nutrition, and testing their fitness in one of the Universities high performance labs.

Kerri Welsh a lecturer from Newcastle-under-Lyme College said:

Taking our students to Loughborough uni, was a great insight into what uni life entails not only from an educational point of view but from a social point of view. It gave them inspiration to be the best at what they do and to succeed in their sport. The trip also gave them an insight into the sorts of Elite Sports people that they could potentially be working with during their studies, but a look at where those athletes train and to see the great facilities that they use, which is the type of facilities that would be open to them for use as well. The students and staff that were involved with the day really enjoyed the experience, and a special mention to the students who looked after us on the day.

The Loughborough University Schools Visit programme is designed to give young people aged 12–18 years the chance to sample a day at a Higher Education institution.

The programme aims to inspire all school pupils, but especially those who may not have previously considered going to University. It also helps to inform and support pupils that are thinking of studying a sport related course or developing a future career in the sector.

Nick Wilkinson, Sport Development Officer at Loughborough Sport said:

We were delighted to welcome Newcastle-under-Lyme to the University and hope that all of the pupils enjoyed their visit.  We are proud of the fact that we can provide such an informative and interactive programme for schools.  I hope that we have inspired the pupils and shown them that Loughborough is a great place to study sport related courses.”

Full details about the School Visits programme can be found at:

http://loughboroughsport.com/schoolvisits/

Students selected for West Midlands Representative Squads

A number of Newcastle-under-Lyme College students have been selected to represent the West Midlands in regional squads. Each student attended trials last week across the West Midlands in rugby, netball, hockey and football and competed against students from across the region.

The following students have been selected:

Men's Ruby
Zac Chadwick
Sam Longstaff
Chris Yates
Ben Adams
Peter Manning

Hockey
Kieran Bedford
Jenny Evans   

Men's Football
Callum Kenny
Callum Lovatt

Ladies Football
Ellie Fox
Emily Day
Shannon Weston
Paris O'Connor

Netball
Dom Ford Gordon
Jessica Barnes
Molly Lines

All the students will now move through to the next national trial phase from which the English Colleges sides will be selected.

West Midlands Female 3v3 IM Basketball Festival

The Gordon Banks Sports Centre at Newcastle under Lyme College (NULC) played host to the first West Midlands 3v3 IM Basketball festival on the Wednesday 9^th October.

IM Basketball is one of England Basketball’s initiatives aimed at increasing participation by helping anyone get involved in basketball regardless of age, gender, size or ability. Approximately 35 – 40 female students took part in the festival which was aimed at providing some fun competition as an exit route for female college students involved in intra college activities.

The festival was also aimed at providing a platform for student leaders to gain experience in running events. A group of four student volunteers from NULC oversaw the proceedings on the day, meeting and greeting, organising fixtures and results and officiating, all with the moral support of Dave Sutton, NULC’s College Sports Maker and Trevor Humphries, the Academy of Sport Manager. Two of NULC’s student volunteers involved were the West Midlands Regional Youth Council members Beth Wragg and Abbie Jackson.

Abbie, who is studying at the college as the Academy of Sport Apprentice, said ‘It was so much fun running this festival, and to see a good number of girls wanting to take part’

Birmingham Metropolitan, Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form, NULC and the City of Stoke on Trent Sixth Form Colleges all took part in the festival, each brining two teams. The flexible fun approach to day also meant those few extra students who wanted to participate were rotated in to ensure all had the opportunity to take part. Each team played each other once during the afternoon with Birmingham Met A topping the festival table.

Trevor Humphries said, ‘It was a fantastic opportunity for us to host this festival for the region and to provide our students with an opportunity to develop their event management skills within an inter college competition environment.’

 

 

TEAM:NULC Sports Results: Wednesday 16th October 2013

This Wednesday saw a packed week of fixtures for many of the squads and all players and coaches wanted to continue the great work developed over the last few weeks.


It was another great week as a number squads remained unbeaten and continued to show the strength and depth of TEAM:NULC.

 

·       Midland Floodlit Men's Football- (away) TEAM:NULC 1 - 0 Hednesford Town FC

 

·       Category 1 Men's Football – (away) TEAM:NULC 0-5 BMET Stourbridge College

 

·       Category 2 Men's Football – (away)TEAM:NULC 4 – 2   Dudley College 2^nd 

 

·       Category 3 Men's Football – (away) TEAM:NULC 6 -  0  Stoke 6^th Form College 2nd

 

·       Ladies Football- (home) TEAM:NULC 0- 2 Thomas Telford 6^th Form

 

·       Men’s Basketball- (away) TEAM:NULC 78- 42 Worcester 6^th Form College

 

·       Ladies Netball- (away) TEAM:NULC  62 -  32  Dyson Perrins College

 

·       Men’s Rugby- (away) TEAM:NULC 37-5 Highfields School Matlock

 

 

TEAM OF THE WEEK – Men’s Rugby Squad

 
The men's rugby squad have to get team of the week as they progressed into the next round of the Natwest Vase tournament against very strong opposition. Well done to the coaching staff and lads.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results- Wednesday 9th October

This Wednesday was the day of regional trials for both the ladies and men’s football, netball, rugby and hockey. The football squads took 5 students each down to the trials which were held in Walsall at the Bescott stadium and the Pulse Fitness and Soccer centre in Wednesbury. The day involved trial based sessions and games put on by the selectors for each sport. In total there was 36 trialists in both the ladies and men’s trials, with those students coming from colleges all over the west midlands.

The NULC girls did really well, did themselves and the college proud with their performances and we have high hopes for them all to get selected. Again just as the girls, the men’s players did they did themselves and the college proud with their performances. We are hoping that again they get selected having seen how well they did in the trials.

The netball and hockey trials were held at Warwickshire college and TEAM:NULC sent 5 netballers and 1 hockey player. All of the students did extremely well and we should hear if any were selected early next week.

The men’s rugby was a local affair as it was held at Trentham rugby club. TEAM:NULC were well represented with 10 players trying to make the midlands squad. Again we should hear early next week on whether they have progressed.

Overall it was a great day for the students to go down and showcase their abilities and we are hoping to hear back from the selectors who has and hasn’t been selected for the next round.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results

 

·        Midland Floodlit Men's Football- (away) TEAM:NULC 2 - 3 Ellesmere Rangers FC

 

·        Category 4 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 12-1 Keele University

 

 

TEAM OF THE WEEK – All regional trialists

 

All the students who competed in the regional trials should be proud of their achievements. Well done!!!

College student shines at Hockey Trials!

 

One of Newcastle-under-Lyme colleges sports stars has once again had success on the hockey field. Keiran Bedford has been selected to feature in the England Hockey Futures Cup, which could eventually lead to the full England set-up.

What is the England Hockey Futures Cup?
The England Hockey Board Futures Cup is a competition which forms part of Junior Regional Performance Centre (JRPC) Tier 2 activity. The EHFC is for players in the U16 and U18 age groups, who are selected for squads from JRPC Tier 1 activity. These squads are called the Saxon Tigers, Pennine Pumas, Wessex Leopards and Mercia Lynx.
The EHFC aims to give players in the U16 and U18 age groups first-hand experience of an international tournament environment, in preparation for potential future involvement in a National Age Group Squad (NAGS). Selected players from the Futures Cup will be invited to attend National Age Group Squads (NAGS) (U16 & U18) training. 

The U18 age group will play a round robin competition over three days followed by classification matches on the fourth day. Squads will also be involved in training days leading up to the tournaments.

The Academy of Sport would like to say a huge congratulations to Keiran and good luck in the cup.

TEAM:NULC Sports Results- Wednesday 2nd October 2013

This Wednesday saw the second week of fixtures for many of the squads and all players and coaches wanted to continue the great work that started last week.

It was another great week as all the squads remained unbeaten and continued to show the strength and depth of TEAM:NULC.

 

·        Midland Floodlit Men's Football- (away) TEAM:NULC 2 - 0 Hereford United FC

 

·        Category 1 Men's Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 3-1 TCAT

 

·        Category 2 Men's Football – (away)TEAM:NULC 2 – 2   Codsall 6^th Form 1st

 

·        Category 3 Men's Football – (away) TEAM:NULC 4 -  2   Walsall College 2nd

 

·        Category 4 Men’s Football – (home) TEAM:NULC 3-2 JCB Academy 6^th Form

 

·       Category 5/6 Men’s Football (home) TEAM:NULC 4-2 JCB Academy Year 11

 

·       Men’s Basketball- (home) TEAM:NULC 96- 24 Warwickshire College

 

·       Ladies Basketball- (away) TEAM:NULC 41- 37 Birmingham Met College

 

·       Ladies Netball- TEAM:NULC  39 -  32  Keele University 1^st Team

 

A great week for all and a major achievement was that we had over 120 students representing the college in football alone.

TEAM OF THE WEEK – Ladies Basketball Squad

The ladies basketball squad have to get team of the week as they managed to defeat the traditional powerhouse of ladies basketball in the region Birmingham Met College. What makes it even better is that is was the ladies first game together. Well done to all the students and staff.

New Basketball Season here we go!!!

The 2013-14 season has arrived. The NULC basketball team will be looking to retain its two year dominance in the BCS West Midlands Conference Wednesday against Sandwell academy in West Bromwich. Coach Jamison is working with a... new look squad and had this to say, “I’m sure we are probably the favorites to three peat this year but in reality we have all new faces, nobody from last year’s teams has returned. I like our chances, but I'm more concerned with developing the new crop of young men in to becoming the best student athletes the can be!!See more

NULC Basketball Players University bound

It has been a very successful season this year for Newcastle under Lyme College basketball team. NULC was again crowned BCS West Midlands champs for the second year in a row. The basketball squad then went out and won the 3v3 National cup championship. NULC basketball players have managed to achieve success off the court as well. Four NULC basketball players will be attending Universities across the country this year. Coach Jamison said, “These four young men represent everything that I’m trying to do here at NULC which is giving young men and educational platform to succeed and teaching them to play the game of basketball the right way. I would like to thank the guys for allowing me to coach them and be a part of their lives.”

Jamie Brunsdon- Manchester Metropolitan University
Kubilay Dilek- Staffs University
Mohammed Zaid- Keele University
Jack Hulme- Bath University

A great first day back in for the TEAM:NULC Squads

This Wednesday saw the majority of the TEAM:NULC squads taking part in their first games of the season after all the hard work of pre-season.

 

It seems that all the hard work is paying off as every team playing managed to win their game leaving a 100% record for the day.

 

·       Midland Floodlit Men's Football- TEAM:NULC 6 - 0 Greenhill Town FC

·       Category 1 Men's Football – Strachan Football Foundation 3  - 4  TEAM:NULC

·       Category 2 Men's Football – TEAM:NULC 4 – 1   S-o-T 6^th Form 1st

·       Category 3 Men's Football -  NULC 7 -  2   Halesowen College 2nd

·       Men’s Basketball- Sandwell College 56 – 80  TEAM:NULC

·       Ladies Netball- TEAM:NULC  62 -  22  Dudley College

 

A great start to the season for NULC with 100% win success rate.

 

Credit to all the coaches for the hard work put over the holiday period to prepare the teams especially with the new 1^st year students who will be looking to continue the previous year’s success of NULC’s Sport Academy.

 

TEAM OF THE WEEK – NULC Category 1 Football Squad