Stockport County Community Foundation are pleased to announce further developments with the ‘Goalz Project’, within the Buxton area.
The National League Trust funded Goalz Project has been run by Stockport County Community Foundation for the past 5 years in partnership with High Peak Borough Council. The project delivers football sessions every Wednesday and Friday night between the hours of 6-8pm. The sessions are free of charge and target local children aged 10-19 years old, within the Buxton area. The aim is to help keep participants active, help develop football and life skills for young adults and to give participants a sense of fulfilment, enjoyment and belonging.
The project is continually growing significantly with over 40 participants regularly attending, from the ages of 10-19 years old, attending every Wednesday and Friday night. With the contiuned support from The National League Trust who have helped provide funding along with High Peak Borough Council in order to create specialised Stockport County Community Foundation ‘Goalz’ training jackets for all the players who regularly attended the project's sessions. This has also particularly helped to give both the players and the project a stronger sense of purpose and identity.
The Goalz Project has developed further over the last 12 months as one of our participants made the transition from player to coach. The project helped support and teach Jamie Waller, of 18 years old, the correct procedures and disciplines on becoming a football coach. Jamie who had to briefly leave our team to attend Sheffield University now returns back to us to help deliver sessions for the Goalz Project every Wednesday night. Jamie has thrived in his new role as a football coach for the project, with Jamie equally pleased, as the project will also help him improve for him to achieve his dream job as a secondary PE teacher.
Additionally, Jordon Peach who is Stockport County's very own under 23 player has now joined the coaching team and also helps deliver sessions for the Goalz Project every Wednesday and Friday nights. Jordon has been a fantastic addition adding a proffessional standard to the sessions, whilst are also helping to inspire our young participants.
The Goalz Project have also helped provide a pathway for their young participants to pursue a higher level of football. At least 8 players from the project have been referred and now train with Alan Lord’s ‘Pro Football Academy’. Alan Lord himself recently visited the Goalz Project and complimented the whole ethos and structure of the project, as well as, the participants attitude and footballing ability.
Head of the Goalz Project and Stockport County Community Foundation coach Joshua Rigby-Bates had this to say regarding the project's continual improvements: "I would like to thank The National League Trust and High Peak Borough Council, along with the players who attend and our other coaches who deliver the sessions. Throughout the last 12 months we have seen further developments to the programme as highlighted above and we are excited about future plans for the Project. Thanks to your commitment and help, this project keeps on going from strength to strength, in order to help and advance the youngsters within the Derbyshire area"
If you would like to know more about our Goalz Project please contact; joshbates1989@hotmail.co.uk
