Leamington Hibernian are please to announce a newly formed association with the Strachan Football Foundation. Club representatives met with SFF founders, Gordon/Gavin Strachan and Dan Elliott for the launch of the SFF apprenticeship programme and have agreed an arrangement that enables SFF apprentices to work within the club and local schools to develop their skills and benefit the community.  Gordon Strachan interrupted a holiday in Spain to attend the launch and conduct a training session with the potential recruits and was delighted with the 31 16-19 year old players on show.

SFF, supported by the Heart Of England Training and Hibs, will provide apprentices the opportunity to train like a professional and work towards a range of football and sports coaching qualifications. The squad of 20 apprentices will receive two hours football coaching, four days per week from SFF coaches and guest coaches who have years of experience within premier league and professional football. An individual player development plan will be introduced to ensure they experience how the football industry operates, website and social media maintenance, writing match reports, sports development, sports coaching , refereeing competitive small sided games and taking part in community sport related events. On graduation, apprentices will have access to the Strachan network of associates to progress towards a paid playing career or further coaching scholarships in the US.

With 30+ teams, hibs need 60+ voluntary managers/coaches or assistants to run effectively, develop our club members and continue to provide value for money. The SFF link will enable the club to channel additional resources to those parts of the club that need it most in addition to providing opportunities for home grown talent to progress towards a career in football.

One of Hibs home grown Young Leaders will be one of the first to benefit. 17 year old Jim Thwaites will begin his goalkeeping apprenticeship in September under the watchful eye of Aston Villa's Andy Marshall.

The club would also like to give special thanks to Dan Elliott, SFF Education and Marketing Director. Dan has supported Hibs on the coaching front for a few years now, was instrumental in helping Suzie set up our girls section and alerted the club to the opportunity to work with SFF. Further information can be found on the SFF website.