Rugby Town are delighted to announce a partnership with the Strachan Football Foundation who will launch their apprenticeship scheme at Butlin Road from September.

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The scheme is supported by Heart Of England Training and Rugby Town Football Club.

An Apprentice has the opportunity to train like a professional and work towards a range of football and sports coaching qualifications, attending training workshops and coaching placements throughout the year long programme.

Each SFF apprentice will work towards a 1st4sport Level 2 sports coaching apprenticeship.

Heart Of England Training are an Ofsted Grade 1 "Outstanding" Training provider, following the successful Ofsted report Heart of England Training are extending their provision into sports, adding to the already successful hair, beauty and business admin which makes HOET one of the top training providers in the country.

A squad of 25 apprentices will make up the first year of the Strachan Football Foundation, playing in a Wednesday College League and Saturday U21 League.

Each apprentice will receive two hours football coaching, four days per week from SFF coaches. Throughout the programme apprentices will have the opportunity to be coached by guest coaches who have years of experience within premier league and professional football.

An individual player development plan will be introduced to each player which will assist in developing a more capable footballer. Links with Rugby Town FC will offer a potential career pathway into semi-professional first team football.

An SFF Apprentice will experience how the football industry operates opportunities will be available to gain experience in website and social media maintenance, writing match reports, sports development, sports coaching , refereeing competitive small sided games and taking part in community sport events.

Gordon Strachan, SFF Director of Football, said: "The apprenticeships offers lads who want to have a career in football both coaching and playing. It gives young players the opportunity to develop as a footballer while becoming qualified as a coach and ready for employment.

"Our main focus is to develop respectable, experienced and qualified young people. Giving the lads the opportunity of a semi-pro football career accompanied with a coaching career is the minimum we would like to achieve - who knows we may even get one who goes even further."

Gordon's son Gavin is SFF's Head Coach. Gavin, who lives in Binley Woods, played over 300 matches professionally during his career, which included a spell at Coventry, and actually played in the top four English divisions and the Scottish Premier League.

Gavin explained the role SFF intended to play within the community.

"The Strachan Football Foundation is a community interest company, which aims to work closely with schools, clubs and youth clubs in the community.

"Giving something back to the grassroots of football is one objective of the foundation.

"We have a fantastic training ground equal to many professional clubs giving the apprentices the best possible opportunity to learn and develop as a footballers while developing the local football community and contributing to the next generation of football coaches and players in the area."