New Year, new kit! Enfield students score with football competition win

Students from the SEN department at Capital City College (CCC)’s Enfield campus started the new year on a high as the winners of a national competition run by Leisure Kicks, a leading organisation that connects young people with sports clubs, coaches and community opportunities across the UK. 

As well as a personalised football kit, the prize haul also included 32 crates of IPO Hydrate energy drinks to support fitness and performance, as well as a professional photo shoot capturing the team in action.

Their well-deserved win was the perfect finish to months of teamwork, dedication and weekly coaching led by Natascia Bernardi, Enrichment Officer at CCC who has been delivering weekly inclusive football sessions at Enfield Campus.

“It’s fantastic to see the learners so engaged, so excited and proud to be part of the football team,” said Roy Thomas, SEND Tutor and Lecturer. “What Natascia is doing for our students is just great.”

The impact of the weekly football sessions on the students has gone far beyond solely improving their levels of physical activity. According to Ines Grilo Frieg, Curriculum Manager for SEND, the programme has played a key role in boosting confidence, inclusion and wellbeing.

“The football sessions delivered for some of our SEND learners have had a great impact” she said. “It has helped them to feel more involved in college life and has supported their mental wellbeing. There has also been excellent collaboration between Natascia, myself and the department in supporting one learner to become a football ambassador and work towards a coaching qualification.”

The talented student in question is Tyeresse, who is already making his mark both on and off the pitch. He is currently an ECFA Football Activator as part of the Association of Colleges Sport Student Leadership Programme, has completed the FA EE Player Maker qualification, and supports the Thursday football sessions alongside staff.

His rising star is shining so brightly that the London FA has offered him further support with his coaching badges by allocating him a FA Tutor to work with him to get this qualification. 

“I did not expect to be selected as ECFA Football Ambassador, or to complete the FA EE Player Maker qualification in such a short time,” said Tyeresse. “In February, I will attend the AoC Sports Ambassadors event at Leyton Sixth Form College and the FA ‘Your Game’ initiative at Millwall Stadium to put into practice my qualifications and explore coaching career opportunities in football.”

Speaking about his personal and professional growth since the beginning of the season, Natascia said, “When Tyeresse started to attend the football sessions on Thursdays, he showed leadership, a willingness to help his teammates and encouragement – all the characteristics that belong to a football coach.”

Since we started working together towards his FA and AoC qualifications, Tyeresse has shown commitment, great enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Being part of  students’ journeys and seeing them flourishing as Tyeresse has done, is the essence of my role as Enrichment Officer.”

Leisure Kicks has been a long-standing partner of Capital City College, providing hundreds of sports goody bags each year for Welcome Fest events across Enfield and Tottenham. Their annual publication, The Guide, features competitions designed to widen access to sport – of which the Enfield campus’s SEN students were the standout winners.

The new year has brought these talented students new football kits to wear alongside their growing confidence, as every step they take on the pitch brings them further along the pathway towards leadership and coaching.

The north London team’s latest victory underlines that football is about more than who wins or loses. It is about teamwork, personal growth and the skills students develop on and off the pitch that will support them far beyond the game and help to prepare them for life beyond college and future careers.

If you want to find out more about the support and adjustments our SEN department offers, visit our Support and Wellbeing page.

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