Aldershot Town Academy are pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with Activate Learning and Merrist Wood College for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Aldershot Town Academy and Activate Learning will be running two full-time football and education courses in collaboration from September 2025. The first is an under 18 girls programme, whilst the second is an under 18s boys programme. Both groups will engage in full-time education with the college, with the boys specifically studying a BTEC in Sport qualification, alongside regular timetabled training from Aldershot Town Academy coaching staff and a weekly games programme on Wednesday afternoons.
Academy Manager, Richard Anderson, commented
“We have been working together with Activate Learning over the course of the last season to put the foundations in place to offer a full-time football and education programme. Merrist Wood College provides a professional environment with high-level education courses and allows the Academy to provide interested players the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects, whilst training and representing Aldershot Town Football Club. We want to ensure that every young person interested and connected to the Club can be catered for, and their future is supported every step of the way.
Chairman, Shahid Azeem, added:
“As a Football Club we have a responsibility to provide not only a pathway for talented players who could make football a career for themselves, but also to the wider community. Only a very small percentage of those engaged in playing football will become professionals, so we have a wider social responsibility to make sure anyone connected with the Club, or interested in representing the Club, is given the opportunity to further their education, whilst being able to continue their enjoyment of playing football.”
Executive Director, Activate Learning, Paul Newman, commented:
“At Merrist Wood College part of Activate Learning, we are delighted to be working with Aldershot Town football club on this groundbreaking partnership. Bringing together the best coaches and educators to create a programme grounded in our award winning Learning Philosophy, we intend to enable young people to achieve their best both on the pitch and in the classroom. We will connect the positive benefits of physical activity and the impact this has on learning, to maximise the potential in our students and ensure they are ready for the next stages of their career.”
If you are in Year 11, male or female, and currently looking at your enrolment options for September 2025, Merrist Wood College and Aldershot Town Football Club will be holding several open events throughout the coming year.
The first of these open days was held on Wednesday 9th October at Merrist Wood College, which was well attended and interest in both the male and female programmes high. Further open days are to be held on the dates below:
Monday 4th November: The EBB Stadium, Aldershot, GU11 1TW, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
To register to attend, please complete the following form:
Aldershot Town and Merrist Wood College: Post-16 Full-Time Football and Education Programme
Saturday 16th November: Merrist Wood College, Worplesdon, Guildford, 9:30am – 12:00pm
To register to attend, please follow the link:
Merrist Wood November Open Event – Merrist Wood College (activatelearning.ac.uk)
Wednesday 26th February: Merrist Wood College, Worplesdon, Guildford, 4:30pm – 7:00pm
To register to attend, please follow the link:
Merrist Wood February Open Event – Merrist Wood College (activatelearning.ac.uk)
