Former Bury duo Nick Potter and Tom Clarkson are just two examples of those who are now reaping the rewards from their time on the ASE programme.
(Pictured left, Nick Potter in action vs Accrington)
The pair moved quickly to progress away from life at Gigg Lane and both are now students at Salford University. Potter currently a year one undergraduate on the BSc (Hons) Human Biology and Infectious Diseases course is thankful for his second chance after football.
He said:
“I didn’t think I was good enough to make a career in the game and while I was disappointed I knew that I wasn’t going to be offered a contract I knew it was going to come. I’m not too sure what I would’ve done if I had not gained some qualifications to fall back on”
Potter thankfully had a full ASE framework to call on and in particular his successful achievement of a BTEC National Diploma in Sport and A Levels has meant that he has been able to enrol on a course, which, contains topics such as Cell Structure and Function, Molecular Biology and Immunology and The Ecology of Infectious Diseases.
Just down ‘The Crescent’ former team-mate Tom Clarkson has also relied on his football grounding to pave the way for a succesful transition on to a Higher Education course at the University. Clarkson currently a second year student on The PFA sponsored physiotherapy degree believes that all the hard work he put in while an Apprentice is now bearing fruit.
He said:
“Working hard at my studies has without a doubt paid off. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay on with the club but my ASE qualifications meant there was no problem gaining a place on the course of my choice at university. I can’t stress enough how important it is for any young athlete to concentrate on their education alongside their training. When you’re training to be a Professional it is difficult to focus on what’s really the ‘less exciting stuff’ but I’m one of many examples of why the education is so important!”.
For more information about courses that the The PFA Education Department has partnerships with please visit www.thepfa.com or contact Pat Lally (Head of Education) and his team on 0161 236 0637.
