THE YOU CAN DO SPORT
ACADEMY

When you join YCDS Academy you will benefit from a unique mix of sport, education and life skills.

The programme offers a combination of traditional further education, academic studies, practical elite sports coaching, and professional and personal enrichment experiences that include employability, career guidance, health and wellness and exclusive industry focused insights and excursions. Students will also have the option to study additional industry recognised sporting qualifications through National Sports Governing Bodies (NGOs).

KEY ACADEMY BENEFITS INCLUDE:

8-10hrs per week, skills-based training from fully qualified, former professional athletes

Player and performance analysis reports

Tailored strength and conditioning programme

Rehabilitation sessions including yoga and foam rolling

Tailored wellness and nutrition advice

First-class, state-of-the-art facilities

Competitive, league and non-league, match fixtures, home and away

Free match and training kit

Industry accredited awards i.e. FA Level 1 in Coaching Football Qualification

L3 Award in Emergency First Aid

High-profile, guest coaches and speakers from across the sports industry

Exclusive enrichment activities, workshops and excursions

Volunteering and work experience opportunities through out network of partners and supporters

Annual YCDS Graduation Ceremony with celebrity guest

Discounted access to local venues, including gym memberships

THE POWER OF SPORT

We promise to deliver opportunities that will help you to understand the world of work whilst developing your individual interests, skills, and strengths. We work with many businesses and experts in their field who provide workshops, talks and taster days to help get you thinking about your career and your progression route beyond the Academy. From Sports Nutritionists, Psychologists, Physios, business leaders, former Sports Professionals and Higher Education Institutions, our roster of mentors is inspiring, diverse, and all-inclusive.

Sport helps to develop people of good character who achieve excellence and make a positive contribution to their communities as it's built on teamwork, self-control, discipline, and respect. It helps to build confidence and to analyse and deduce general principles in life, which can in turn boost mental, physical, and social agility. It teaches ambition and determination for success, responsibility, boundaries, and rules and how decisions affect others. It instils integrity, humility, and compassion. This also helps develop leadership and teamwork skills and build on the concepts of cooperation, tolerance, loyalty, honesty, and sportsmanship.

There are no fees to join the academy and we offer a travel bursary for students joining us from further afield, see details below:

20% refund on travel over 5 miles
30% refund on travel over 10 miles
50% on travel over 20 miles

YCDS ACADEMY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

You must achieve 5 GCSE’s level 4 and above.

Maths and/or English can be retaken as part of the programme if necessary.

Due to the competitive nature of the programme, you should have some experience in your chosen sport to join the academy, however, the aim is for you to improve significantly during your time with us, both physically, academically, and mentally.

EDUCATION PATHWAYS

Our collaborative approach, working in partnership with a school, means students are enrolled as part of a schools sixth form, providing them with the highest standards of education post16.

The robust school infrastructure and exceptionally qualified and experienced teachers within a school setting means we can offer students a choice of qualifications. This includes.

a) BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport

b) Double BTEC Diploma in Sport + an additional A-Level of your choice.

Both pathways are UCAS/performance tables recognised level 3 qualifications and are equivalent to 3 A-levels giving our students the opportunity to access all avenues post-18.

DID YOU KNOW?

Level 3 qualifications are all weighted the same in terms of UCAS points

Most universities do not differentiate between BTEC and A-level qualifications

If a university/high-ed course you are considering requires a particular A-level for entry, our education provider may be able to include this in our programme – just ask us!

Learn More

AVAILABLE SCHOOLS FOR 2023

TRIALS / APPLY

OUR PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS

YCDS Academy is proud to work alongside and in association with some of the most influential names and organisations from the national sporting industry and locally with schools, colleges and sports clubs from in and around Nottinghamshire.

Our close ties with this multi-layered network enables us to deliver an affiliated approach to further education that brings together the vast knowledge, experience and skills of all of those involved.

These collaborations place our students in the best hands whilst offering them an abundance of opportunity in which to achieve their goals and pursue their careers.

YCDS Academy is fortunate to count just some of the following organisations as its working and educational partners and supporters.

“Currys are extremely proud to be sponsoring and supporting YCDS in Newark. Sport is extremely important for the physical and mental well-being of young people and we are delighted to see the variety and strength of activities YCDS is offering locally to bring the potential out of our up and coming talent.”

Damian Rodgers, General Manager, Currys Newark

OUR SPORTS

We offer you the opportunity to study a 2-year, full-time education and sports development programme like no other!

You will experience between 8-10hrs per week of training in your chosen sport. Our highly experienced coaches and staff share your passion for Sport and have been involved in the game at some of the highest achievable levels themselves.