September 19, 2018

Tottenham Hotspur to bring Global Football Development Program down under

English premier league football club partners with University of Wollongong

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the University of Wollongong will pioneer the next generation of Australian and international football talent with an innovative Player Development Program to be offered on campus from January 2020.

This Global Football Development Program partnership with one of the world’s leading universities will see two FA & UEFA qualified Tottenham Hotspur coaches train participating University of Wollongong students for 36 weeks a year over a period of five years at its picturesque Wollongong Campus, located just south of Sydney.

Coaches will deliver authentic methods developed within the Tottenham Hotspur Academy to help students reach their full potential.
Under the program, which opens for applications in 2019 to commence in 2020, students will undertake 16-20 hours of football training each week around their academic timetable and compete at local, national and international levels.

The program will be open to applications from Australian and international undergraduate and postgraduate students and be undertaken in addition to academic studies.

As well as developing players, the program will boost Australian football’s training and development offerings, with aspiring local coaches having opportunities to be mentored by the Tottenham Hotspur coaches to enhance the level and quality of training provided across the university’s teams.

The launch of the partnership was marked with a jersey exchange between Club Ambassador, Ledley King, and University of Wollongong Ambassador and Australian cricket legend, Adam Gilchrist, at Saturday’s match against Liverpool. The launch followed an official signing ceremony at the Club on 11 September.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings, CBE, signing the partnership agreement with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Executive Director, Ms Donna-Maria Cullen.

Tottenham Hotspur is renowned across the globe for developing young players and our Global Football Development programs monitor each player individually, giving them the opportunity to learn and develop their skills so they can play attacking football with the flair, fluidity and passion that are the hallmarks of the Club.

This latest player development program partnership with one Australia’s largest and most internationally diverse universities follows recently announced partnerships with Florida Elite Soccer Academy and New England Futbol Club in the United States.

The University of Wollongong has more than 34,000 students across nine Australian campuses, two international campuses in Dubai and Hong Kong, and partner institutions in Singapore and Malaysia.

As well as delivering world-class education, the university also has a long history of sporting success, with many students going on to compete at elite level. The University’s Wollongong campus is also a training base for several professional teams, including the St George Illawarra Dragons in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) competition.

Andy Rogers, Head of Global Football Development, said: “The Club has a fantastic track record in developing young players through its Academy, and we are delighted to be taking these authentic methods to the University of Wollongong. The university has a long history of sporting success and we look forward to working with them to help grow the game and identify the next generation of talented footballers in the region.”

Professor Alex Frino, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy) at the University of Wollongong said: “As well as helping our students improve their playing ability and education, this unique program will strengthen the place of football within our university and deepen our connection with this rapidly growing sporting code in Australia. It will attract young Australian and international players with tremendous potential who can enrich local competitions, while also providing opportunities for Australian coaches to be mentored by Tottenham Hotspur coaches, improving the standard of coaching for the university and Australian football.”

Professor Paul Wellings CBE, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wollongong said the partnership was a natural fit for the university.

“We are delighted to be partnering with one of the best football clubs in the world, and particularly one that shares our personalised approach to helping students reach their full potential. This partnership continues the University of Wollongong’s long history of combining sport with a world-class education that prepares sportspeople for life after their playing careers.”

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club enjoys a strong and growing presence in Australia over the past five years and now has nine Official Supporters’ Clubs in Australia including Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The First Team toured to Sydney in 2015 and Melbourne in 2016, with over 4,000 participants across schools, youth clubs, local federations and government partners coached by our Global Football Development team.