John Woodhead

I would 100% recommended this course to anyone looking into it. Being involved with the reserve team was always a pleasure, you got to play with professional footballers. Not only was this a great achievement but having the opportunity to play against professional teams at professional stadiums is something I will never forget.

John chose to study the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport at Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) because he wanted to stay in full-time education, whilst being able to train as a footballer in the Football Academy and learn about the body and coaching styles. He found the course to be a perfect match, and is now studying Exercise and Sport Science at Oklahoma University, USA.

Being a part of the Football Academy was a huge part of John’s experience at LMC, when asked about his favourite parts, he said: 

“The best bits were playing football everyday whilst learning and improving my game. In my first year I took a big injury meaning I missed a lot of the season, which made my second year sweeter when we went onto win the league title. We had a great team and I’m proud to have been a part of it.”

John described winning the title as a great achievement for him and the boys in the Academy. He looks back fondly on his time at LMC, which he commends the course tutors for; 

“I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend the college and work with great tutors. David helped me realise the importance of studying, and now I’m thriving in my classes at university.”

The opportunities offered on the course were invaluable to John, who explained that being in a professional environment helped him to grow as a football player, and the high intensity training sessions helped him to mentally and physically prepare for 2 games of football a week. He also got play with professional footballers on the reserve team, which is something John says he will never forget. 

Since leaving LMC, John has graduated from Northern Oklahoma College in the United States, and has transferred to the Oklahoma City University to gain his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science with minors in Coaching and Writing. He thanks LMC for providing him with the life experiences needed for such a huge move across the globe; 

“When I was a student living in housing accommodation, it made me grow as a person and helped me take on more responsibilities and independence. I gained insight on living away from home at an early age which helped me mentally prepare for the culture and lifestyle changes when living in a different country."