Jermain Defoe Football Academy

OPEN DAY - TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY, 1-3PM

Interested in potentially joining the Jermain Defoe Academy?

Come to our open day on Tuesday 25th February to find out more, play some football and find out what the academy is all about!

Scroll to the bottom of this page to fill in our form and register your interest!

About the Jermain Defoe Football Academy

Designed in association with legendary England, Sunderland and Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe, the JD Academy is a fantastic learning environment for both make and female talented footballers aged 16-18.

You'll be supported by our dedicated team every step of the way, ensuring you reach your full potential as both a footballer and a student.

Before we get started, watch our video below to hear from Jermain himself why you should be joining the Jermain Defoe Football Academy here at East Durham College!

What is the Jermain Defoe Football Academy?

There's a reason why the JD Academy's slogan is Elevating Winners, Both On & Off the Field!

The Academy has been formed to give students passionate about football in the North East more opportunities than ever before. 

We've created a custom-made programme for students on the JD Academy, to ensure we take your football game to the highest level while also making sure you do amazing things academically at college, preparing you for an exciting range of future careers.

You can expect quite a lot from your time at the JD Academy, including:

• Play & Compete - Regular games against other colleges and in competitive leagues ensure you’ll put your training into practice.
• Access to Premier League and Academy Grounds - with trips to Wembley and other stadiums/clubs included, you’ll see exactly what it’s like to be a pro.
• Contacts within the Professional Game - Jermain’s contacts within the industry mean you could have access to talent scouts and other 
  professional coaches throughout your time at EDC.
• Termly Rewards - Perform well academically and with your sports performance and earn rewards!
• FREE Gym Access - Use our on-site gym, Impact Health & Fitness, whenever you want for FREE!
• FREE Bus Pass - Travel to and from college completely FREE of charge on any Arriva bus. 

On the Field - Elevating Your Skills with Our Football Pathway

With a striker like Jermain involved, you know that the coaching you're going to receive as part of the JD Academy is going to be absolutely top-tier!

This is all about you. We're here to make sure you leave EDC with your football game at its highest level.

There are loads of benefits to joining the JD Academy. We'll help you elevate your skills by:

• Taking Part in Up to 8 Hours, Per Week, UEFA-Licensed Football Coaching - here at EDC, our team of football coaches are all qualified to a minimum UEFA-B license. Jermain himself will also be running masterclass sessions throughout the year.
• Regular Performance Analysis - as a player in the Jermain Defoe Academy, you'll gain access to GPS trackers, supported by PlayerData and Match Analysis provided by VEO cameras.
• Strength & Conditioning - You’ll begin the year with fitness testing, just like the professionals. We’ll use this to develop a strength and conditioning 
  programme specifically for you, developing your robustness, strength and power.
• Physiotherapy & Nutrition - Throughout your time at college you’ll have access to free physio, as well as nutritional guidance to help fuel your performance.
• FREE Exclusive Adidas Kit - Represent the JD Academy with our unique Adidas kit, available only to students on the JD Academy programme.

Off the Field - Elevating You Academically with a Sports Coaching Course

When you're enrolled on to the Jermain Defoe Football Academy, you're a dual student. You'll both be part of the JD Academy and also be enrolled onto either a Level 2 or Level 3 Sports Coaching programme at EDC.

The course combines together time in the classroom learning the theory behind sports coaching, as well as regular practical sessions using EDC's amazing sports facilities, including our double sports hall, 3G football pitch and traditional grass pitches too. 

Our sport coaching courses cover a wide variety of topics including sports nutrition, sports psychology, anatomy and physiology. You'll learn the theory behind all of this and get to put what you learn into practice as part of your practical activities and training sessions.

There's loads of other perks to you sport coaching course, including:

• Real Work Experience - students are expected to complete up to 100 hours of work experience as part of their course, giving you a real taste of a potential career you're interested in
• Industry Insights - Throughout the year, you’ll have the opportunity to gain an insight into a variety of careers from a range of guests speakers and trips, helping to better understand your options such as Sport Development, Psychology, Coach Development & more.
• Highly Experienced Lecturers - here to get the best out of you with amazing sport lectures and practical lessons.

What To Expect on Your Sports Coaching Course

Year 1 units:

• Developing Coaching Skills – In this unit learners will develop their coaching knowledge and skills to help improve others’ performance skills, techniques and tactics across a range of sports
• Health, Wellbeing and Sport - In this unit, learners will explore the importance of physical activity and wellbeing for different types of participants and suggest ways to improve their physical and mental health status.
• Careers in the Sport and Active Leisure Industry - In this unit, learners will develop an understanding of careers in the sport and active leisure industry. They will gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for employment in the industry.
• Sport Development – In this unit, learners will explore the principles of sport development, the key agencies involved and provide practical examples of current practice. They will also develop their own sports development initiative.
• Self Employment in Sport and Physical Activity - Learners will develop knowledge and understanding of self-employment and apply this to develop a self-employment strategy within the context of the sport industry.
• Practical Sports Application – In this unit, learners will develop the skills, techniques, tactics and understanding of rules needed to participate in selected sports, either individually or in a team.#

Year 2 units:

• Applied Coaching Skills – Learners will develop a coaching programme to improve performance at all levels and for multi-sports.
• Research Project – In this unit, learners propose and undertake research within a sport context. This will give them the essential skills needed to progress to higher education.
• Sports Psychology - In this unit, learners will develop an understanding of the psychological demands of sport and develop techniques to improve sporting performance. They will plan their own psychological skills programme.
• Nutrition for Sports Performance – In this unit, Learners will explore the importance of nutrition and hydration within a sport context. They will also plan their own diet and hydration plan.
• Fitness Testing - Learners will gain an understanding of fitness testing and the importance of health screening and health monitoring tests.
• Anatomy and Physiology – In this unit, learners will explore the structure and function of the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems and develop an understanding of the fundamentals of the energy systems.

Find out more about this Education Pathway with our sequence of learning document >>

Apply Now to be Part of the Jermain Defoe Academy

All sound good? Now's the time to get started! Keep scrolling down the page and fill in your details using the form below to register your interest in joining East Durham College's Jermain Defoe Football Academy.

Once you're done our sport team will get in touch with you to have a chat and invite you along for our next open day/evening.