Sports Academies

Level Up Your Game with Leicester College Sports Academies

Our Sports Academies give you access to expert coaching, high-quality training, and hands-on experience that can open doors to careers in the sports industry and beyond.

Whether you're passionate about football or basketball, you’ll be part of a growing and supportive sporting community. You’ll train with others from different courses and backgrounds, helping you build new friendships and transferable skills that will benefit you no matter where your future takes you.

At Leicester College we are proud to have Sports Academies representing us in a variety of sports. We have dedicated, professional coaches for the following sports:

Men’s Basketball Academy

Women’s Football Academy

Men’s Football Academy

For the 2025-2026 Academic year we are excited to be adding four new Academies:

Futsal Academy

Cricket Academy

For 2025-26, our men’s football, women’s football and men’s basketball teams will compete in the AoC Regional League Cup for students aged 16-19. We're working hard to expand our academies too, with plans for more opportunities coming soon.

We're proud to be working with Leicester City in the Community, who support our women’s football team, and Leicester Riders, who coach our men’s basketball squad. It is also great to be able to use the facilities at the Mattioli Arena. These partnerships give you the chance to learn from the best and develop as a player and person.

Whilst striving for success in competition, we are focused on equipping sports academy students with the skills and confidence to give back to the sports and fitness industries beyond college.

If you are, or would be interested in becoming a coach, match day official, or other professional involved in grassroots or professional sport, email us with your interest.

Are you an organisation that can help grow our sports academies for students? We would love to hear from you too!

Sports Academies Form

Take a look at the Frequently asked questions below, if they do not answer your queries use the link above to get in contact.

The Sports Academies are open to all learners aged 16-19 who are enrolled on a full-time course, and who wish to train in one of the Academy Sports. There are no course requirements for learners, as the Sports Academies are cross college opportunities on top of their study programme Please reach out to sportsacademies@leicestercollege.ac.uk if you are interested in joining but don’t meet the above criteria.

Training takes place at sport specific venues within Leicester. All are accessible with a short walk or by making use of the free Hop! Bus services in the city. Training is scheduled to fit into standard hours of a college timetable, generally during the afternoon (timetable subject to change). Session times and locations will be shared through official college channels and throughout Induction and Freshers.

Students are expected to make their own way to training. They are encouraged to walk, cycle or make use of the HOP! Bus service to reach their venue. Students will have consent from parents/carers (or self-consent if over 18) to attending training.

It is free to train as a member of the Sports Academy and represent the college in AoC leagues and competitions. Any additional costs that may arise (such as an optional training kit) will be communicated through Academy channels.

Leicester College Sports Academies are about more than competitive sport. We are focused on equipping students with life skills, celebrating diversity and inspiring achievement. The ambition is to support student to up-skill through leadership opportunities, cross college engagement and additional qualifications. Students will also benefit from competitive opportunities and the cultural capital that comes from travelling to different areas.

Sports Academy teams are entered into competitions through the Association of Colleges. Men’s and Women’s Football, and Men’s Basketball compete in the regional league as well as the national knock out cup. These competitions start in September and conclude by May with matches taking place regularly. The other Sports Academies will also compete in AoC competitions throughout the year. **Cricket will take place in Term 2 and 3 as it is a summer league.

In short, no, it shouldn't. Students are to attend their timetabled lessons, and should prioritise their course requirements over academy training. Where a student is selected to represent the college in a competitive fixture that clashes with timetabled lessons, they will be asked to reach out to their programme lead to inform them of the absence. Disruption in these circumstances should be minimal, as wherever possible, fixtures will take place on a Wednesday afternoon.

Our Sports Ambassadors are in run through the AOC Sport Leaders Programme. Benefits of Ambassador roles include access to Professional Development events, opportunities for relevant qualifications paid for and scope to plan and run sports projects. Responsibilities of this role include advocating for and supporting sports across Leicester College and the wider community.

The Sports Academies will be working with SET team to ensure there is a variety of sports and physical activity opportunities open to all. This includes supporting the continued participation in the Pan Ability football league. There will be Ambassadors and Activators for the sports Academies, as part of the AoC leadership programme that are supporting increased engagement and having leaners' voices heard. These will include This Girl Can Ambassadors, Inclusion Ambassadors and ECFA (football) Activators. The Sports Academies welcome students to support the academies in non-player roles, if these are of interest to them. This might include assisting coaches, officiating games, supporting media campaigns for the teams, acting as a sport analyst or journalist, for example.