Myerscough gain England Football ‘Accredited College’ status
Published: Wednesday 27 August 2025Myerscough College remains one of only a handful of colleges to achieve accreditation through the English Colleges Football Association (ECFA) Accreditation Stars System.
The accreditation is a tool for AoC (Association of Colleges) Sport member colleges to be recognised for the good practice that exists within their football study programmes, and provides a platform of criteria for colleges to aspire to and raise the profile of football programmes across the country.
Recognition is awarded via ‘stars’ with one star, two stars and three stars attainable for each strand as well as for the overall college football offer. Myerscough has achieved the two-star award.
Institutions recognised need to consider their extra-curricular football provision across four areas: participation, competition, workforce, and community.
These pillars represent:
Providing inclusive playing opportunities
Supporting talent
Developing a student workforce
Engaging with the community
Colleges are required to submit evidence across the year against each criteria via a digital evidence folder. Stars are then awarded at the end of the year based on evidence provided.
In the report, which you can read here, details the many ways of how and why Myerscough’s football study programmes enjoy a fantastic reputation for developing and preparing our students for employment in a variety of roles across the football industry and beyond.
Highlights include:
A recreational football offer is in place which includes provision for males, females and students with a disability.
Students are consulted and feedback is considered via surveys and cross college focus groups, acted upon by football student management group.
A staff structure is in place to enable recreational football activity with evidence that there is a staff role dedicated to recreational sport.
"Dual career" principles are adopted, allowing students on any study programme to represent the college.
ECFA competitions are entered for men’s and women’s teams in ECFA Leagues
Organised player transition links are in place with a male and a female club (NLS Steps 1-6 and Tiers 1-5 of the Women's Football Pyramid).
There are provisions for Strength & Conditioning, performance analysis, and physiotherapy.
Qualified coaching is provided weekly where first teams are led by minimum UEFA B qualified coach (or working towards).
Wider volunteer opportunities show that students support the delivery of college or community events.
A system in place to develop student coaches and student coaches are deployed in the college and deployed in the community.
Reward and recognition of the volunteer workforce is in place to recognise and reward.
A community football partnership in place with an England Accredited club (male and female).
Outreach programmes are delivered by students in schools or the community.
Community activity takes place on the College site by an FA an England Accredited club and an FA programme takes place on the college site.
Over the years a number of players have gone on to break into professional football at various levels across the football pyramid, reflecting our fantastic practical football provision.
Meanwhile, we have also helped many students to develop into excellent coaches, working in professional football, in the UK and beyond.
Places are still available to start in September 2025 on a range of Level 3 BTEC programmes in Football Studies, subject to meeting entry criteria.