Forth Valley College and Falkirk Football Club officially kicked off an exciting new partnership on Thursday 23 January, which aims to bring benefits to students and the wider community.
The recently opened Falkirk Campus was the venue for FVC Principal Dr Ken Thomson to welcome Falkirk FC Head Coaches Lee Miller and David McCracken and first team players Ian McShane, Ben Hall and Robbie Leith, to help launch the new initiative. This will see increased opportunities for the college’s students to get involved with the workings of an elite professional club and provide Falkirk FC with the chance to raise awareness of their football team among the wider FVC student body and staff.
The two neighbouring organisations already work together on projects such as the Centre Forward – Making Your Next Move scheme which involves the Falkirk Football Community Foundation (FFCF) and FVC’s Department of Business and Communities. The initiative is a two year long programme designed to help young people (aged between 16-24) with learning disabilities achieve their aspirations, develop existing skills and improve confidence through using sport and physical activity to deliver positive life changes.
Now the new official link-up is set to open up a range of other exciting plans including a chance for staff and students to attend a dedicated Forth Valley College match-day with hundreds of free tickets being offered for the Falkirk FC home match on Saturday 22 February against Montrose.
It is understood there is the potential for FVC media students to get involved in filming and covering the match via social media, designing the front covers of the match-day programme and possible roles for hospitality and catering students at the stadium when the Bairns are at home. The college will also be sponsoring student tickets up until the end of the season.
Dr Ken Thomson, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “We are delighted to launch our closer partnership with Falkirk FC and are excited by the possible range of live learning opportunities in sport, media and hospitality that could well be created in the process.
“As a community college we take great pride in working closely with our local partners and neighbours and we are looking forward to turning our match-up with Falkirk FC into a great result for both organisations. The Forth Valley College match-day will be a winner for everyone!”
Kieran Koszary, Commercial Director at Falkirk FC, said: “It was a fantastic experience to visit the new campus, and it was inspiring to see the passion from everyone within the new facilities, which are truly first class.
“As a football club we are excited about the opportunities of working together with the college on numerous exciting and innovative concepts over the years ahead.
“We are looking forward to welcoming hundreds of students from Forth Valley College to our match day on 22 February, to not only enjoy the game, but to also support the club in various operational areas on the day as they look to enhance their knowledge and broaden their skillsets.”
Lindsay Graham, Vice President of Forth Valley Student Association (FVSA), said: “I am really excited by the prospect of the partnership between Forth Valley College and Falkirk FC. There are so many parallels that both of these institutions have by being cornerstones of not just the local Falkirk Community, but the much wider Forth Valley area.
“I feel that this partnership offers a fantastic opportunity to our students to gain experience in their studies. I know that the College and Falkirk FC already do a lot of good partnership working, and broadening the scope to include other opportunities for students is a win win situation for all and the dedicated FVC match-day and ticket sponsor offer are brilliant ideas.”
