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ACADEMY NEWS
22/23 Presentations
After yet another successful season on the pitch we held our end of season presentation awards breakfast on Friday 23rd June 2023. With the help of our partners Halesowen College, our cohort of students joined us for a breakfast and to celebrate both the joint and individual achievements of those within our squad this year. Below is a breakdown of who won which award along with a selection of photos.
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U19 National Alliance Division G Winners
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Managers Player Of The Year
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Leyton Langstone Charlie Rigby
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Players Player Of The Year
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Ethan Green Tyler Ellerton
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Students Of The Year
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Callum North (1st Year) Elliott Ball (2nd Year) Sean Tuckley (3rd Year)
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International Call-Up
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As well as the above awards we also finally got to celebrate the success of our 1st year goalkeeper Matthew Horton being called up to represent England Colleges this year at games both in England and a tournament in Italy. Hopefully Matthew gets the same opportunity next year, with our fingers crossed for another selection from Halesowen Town FC.
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 21/22
Wednesday 27th April 2022 will go down in Yeltz Academy history. As this was the day we were crowned ECFA National Champions for the 21/22 season.
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Priestly College 1 - 2 Halesowen Town FC (Max Morris, Elliot Ball)
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MOM - Ryan Snape
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Out of the 260 teams that entered the competition we finally met Priestly College in the final at Doncaster Rovers. Having survived a couple of half chances to Priestly early on we got a foothold in the game and took advantage during two set pieces, of which the lads have been working hard on during the weeks leading up the final. The second half was a slight back to the walls job as Priestly came out very determined to get back into the game and had it not been for a couple of excellent point blank saves from our captain and GK Joel Chadwick we could have easily seen ourselves level. That being said we looked strong on the break and had 4/5 chances ourselves to pull clear with Joe Palmer being denied twice by Priestlys CB and GK respectively, and Ryan Snape flashing a ball across the box to which no-one could quite get on the end of.
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On reflection of the day, Head Coaches Craig Nicholls said, 'This is what hard work, togetherness and determination gets you. The lads have had a tough time due to Covid but this season they have progressed so much.. They are such a tight group and it shows on and off the pitch.. They have made myself and Josh very proud to be their managers. Now we have a league to win!'
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You can view highlights of the day below, thanks to Matthew Ponter.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=umf9i9kxIsI
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#UpTheYeltz
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Doncaster Bound
Our Yeltz Academy based out of Halesowen College have reached the final of the ECFA National Knockout Cup​​​​. The tournament started on 06/10/2021 with a 8-0 away win at King Edward XI College Nuneaton, we then progressed through a further 5 rounds before meeting Gateshead FC Academy in the semi-final at The Grove yesterday (30/03/22). The game finished 1-1 in normal with the Yeltz responding quickly to going a goal down in the second half. Gateshead took the lead during the second half of extra time, with the Yeltz continuing to push for a equaliser. Reminiscent of our first team heroics away at Barnet in The FA Trophy the equaliser came in the last minute after a goal out scramble. Penalties were then the order of the day, as with our quarter-final against Yeovil Town FC Academy. The Yeltz confidently stroked home 4 out of their 5 penalties with captain Joel Chadwick making the deciding save to make us 4-3 winners on penalties. Details for the final are below and more details will be posted when we have them.
Priestly College Vs Halesowen Town FC
Venue: Eco Power Stadium (DN4 5JW)
Date: 27/04/2022
KO: 15.30
Free entry
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Supporters coach details to follow...
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#UpTheYeltz
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Trial Dates 2021/22
Halesowen College Partnership
​​​​In September 2020 Halesowen Town FC and Halesowen College were pleased to announce a fantastic partnership to help develop footballers and students at the fantastic Halesowen College facilities, just a stones throw away from 'The Grove'.
This unique partnership offers our students the chance to study for a Level 3 Football Academy Qualification which will give them a fantastic opportunity to gain a career within the football industry. The course is designed to allow progression to higher education and employment pathways within the game, elements of sports coaching, performance analysis, strength and conditioning and sports science are all part of this exciting new programme.
As well as the football specific aspects the course also focuses on the basic Sport topics such as Anatomy & Physiology, Fitness, Psychology and Sports Coaching, giving you a well-rounded and in depth knowledge of the Sports industry.
For more information regarding the education and entry requirements of the course please click on the following link;
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https://www.halesowen.ac.uk/study/course/football-academy-level-3/
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First Team Coaches Appointed
Halesowen Town FC First Team Coaches appointed at Halesowen Town FC Academy.
It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that Halesowen Town FC would like to announce first team coaches, Craig Nicholls and Josh Coney, have today been appointed Academy Managers of Halesowen Town FC Academy.
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Both Nicholls and Coney joined the Yeltz with first team manager Paul Smith after working with him previously at Redditch United FC. They also run their own coaching business, Total Football Coaching, bringing a wealth of expertise and experience to their new roles.
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Before linking with Smith at Redditch United, Nicholls had previously been working in women's football where he had a very successful stint at Coventry City Ladies FC and West Bromwich Albion Women's FC, winning the Women's Premier League with Coventry in his first year. In addition, he is in the process of completing his A License qualification which will bring further knowledge and depth to the role.
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Coney had worked alongside Nicholls at both Coventry and West Brom Ladies as well as working within the academy structure at West Bromwich Albion FC. Primarily as a goalkeeping coach throughout the age groups but gaining experience watching and working alongside a number of respected coaches at the club.
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Following the announcement, Nicholls said, ''I'd like to thank Karen Brookes and Keith McKenna for this opportunity; I'm thrilled to accept this role. The club is fantastic and is going from strength to strength. Being part of this season has been one of the most exciting times of my career and working alongside Smith and Snape has been brilliant for my development as both have a wealth of experience and clearly know how to get the best out of their players. Having a clear link between the academy and the club's senior levels is extremely important, I can't wait to get started!''
Coney commented, ''The vision of the club is something we want to be part of. The academy needs to be an important part of the club as it can link everything together, from junior to senior football. We want to see some of these boys represent the first team in the future.''
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Both Nicholls and Coney are already working to recruit players for the upcoming season. For more information on how to be part of this exciting new chapter, please go to the Academy section of the Halesowen Town FC website https://www.ht-fc.co.uk/academy where you can read about trials and our upcoming fixtures or https://www.halesowen.ac.uk/study/course/football-academy-level-3/ where you can find all the details regarding the education side of the football and education programme.