New City College celebrates a win at the Women’s Football Awards!

New City College Havering Sixth Form is delighted to announce that its NCC Education and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Development Centre programme was a winner at the Women’s Football Awards 2024!

 Celebrating outstanding achievement and recognising the people, organisations and brands who promote women’s football, the event is Europe’s biggest awards presentation in women’s football.

It celebrates all levels of the game, from grassroots to superstar players on the pitch and the evening presentation was attended by some of the biggest names in international football.

The ceremony took place in London on May 30th and was hosted by former Lioness Eni Aluko and Sky Sports presenter Jamie Carragher.

The NCC Education and Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Football Development Centre, which is offered to young female students with talent and potential at the sixth form campus, in Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, won the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award, sponsored by the Premier League.

The award was presented to New City College Principal Janet Smith and Paul Griffiths, NCC and Tottenham Hotspur Football Development Centres Manager.

It is an honour and a proud moment for the programme to have won such an award. It prides itself on giving female students an outstanding education as well as the chance to work or play football at a professional level.

Paul Griffiths said: “We are thrilled to have won this award at such a prestigious event and in front of so many inspirational people involved in women’s football. The New City College Education and Tottenham Hotspur Football Development Centre has gone from strength to strength in such a short space of time, with multiple success stories along the way.”

Janet Smith said: “I am delighted that our partnership has been recognised in this way. The women’s programme has enabled our talented young students to experience the highest level of coaching alongside their academic studies with us. Together we are ensuring that women from all backgrounds can access the training to achieve their potential in football.”

The programme has been extremely successful since it was introduced at New City College. It is dedicated to creating pathways which are inclusive and accessible for young women, giving them excellent opportunities in football training and coaching, and also the wider sports sector.

Just recently the women’s team won through their regional heats to reach the finals of the Association of Colleges (AoC) National Championships 2024, which took place at the University of Nottingham. It was a first for NCC – and they were the only team in London to be represented at the tournament finals.

 And earlier in the season, player Grace Craven, who is part of the programme, travelled to Europe to play in a match against Italy after being selected for the England Colleges FA national team.

 Grace said: “I’m really pleased to have had such amazing opportunities which have come about through the college. It has built my confidence and I am 100 per cent grateful to the Spurs coaches who have helped develop my game and my strategic thinking. It’s all helping me to look to the future where I’d love to play at a really high level and even aspire to be a Lioness – playing for the England national women’s team.”

Lyon Theoharous, NCC Women’s Head Coach, said: “We work with students who come from all demographics and who have many different life experiences which are all channelled into a common passion – football.

“I am grateful to have experienced watching the students on our programme build the necessary skills to take into their classrooms to become better students, and more importantly, to leave the programme in a better place than when they started college.

“They learn what it’s like to come together as a team, regardless of their background and their past, to work, train and compete together.”

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.

Support Local Journalism
We at The Havering Daily appreciate your support of quality journalism. Your generous donation, no matter the size, allows us to continue bringing unbiased and informative news to the community. Your contribution helps us maintain our independence and allows us to continue providing high-quality journalism. Thank you for valuing the work we do and for supporting our mission

Thank you