The University of Lincoln has agreed a unique new coaching arrangement with Lincoln City FC.
Footballers in the university men’s and women’s first teams will be selected, managed and trained by professionals from Lincoln City. From pre-season trials and training to post-match analysis, the Imps’ Academy specialists will support the students in a new performance coaching programme.
The Imps confirmed that head coaches from Lincoln City Academy and Women’s team, who specialise in identifying and developing talented young players, will work with university teams competing in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions.
Mark Holmes, commercial director of the University of Lincoln, said: “This is a unique partnership which offers talented footballers the benefit of a professional training programme from an EFL club with opportunities for students to play football at a high level whilst studying at the University of Lincoln.”
James Brooks, group chief executive officer of Lincoln Students’ Union, added: “Lincoln Students’ Union is thrilled to be part of the collaboration with Lincoln City FC. This is a complete game-changer for our talented student footballers. Not only does it enhance our football programme, but it also provides our students with an invaluable opportunity to experience professional-level coaching and support.”
A performance analyst, physio and support staff will complete the line-up of professional input. The Imps will also help recruit squads via a trials day, designing and delivering first-team training and overseeing touchline decisions on match days of each home fixture.
Finally, Jez George, Lincoln City’s director of football, said: “We have worked with the University of Lincoln over a number of different areas for quite a significant amount of time and it’s a natural fit to expand the football side. We’ve run a pilot over the past 12 months and I’m really pleased to take that into a fully fledged partnership encompassing the men’s and women’s teams.
“Attracting talented young people to the city to come to the city through the university is always beneficial and it’s a potential workforce across many areas of the club. We have a number of interns who have come in to placements with the football club who have then gone on to roles with us and are having successful careers – some having moved on to work in the Premier League.”
The new arrangement will be underway for the 2024/25 season.
Feature Image Credit: Gavin Thomas/University of Lincoln