Education that
fits, empowering futures
Post 16 programme
A fresh approach to educational provision
In August 2025, we launched our 16 - 19 provision. It was created to address the need for an alternative pathway in North Somerset for young people aged 16-19 who had been underserved by traditional education.
Too often left demotivated and unable to reach their full potential, we set out to deliver a programme for young people that not only opens doors to professional careers in football but also provides an academic environment that makes meaningful adaptations without ever lowering expectations.
Our course leaders
Nick De-Long, MSC
Nick leads our programme, ensuring every student meets their educational milestones, has proper support, and can thrive in a safe environment.
He's the main point of contact between students, parents, and our education provider, SCL College. He is the channel of communication, keeping everyone informed and maintaining the high standards that allow young people to develop.
As a UEFA A licensed coach, Nick has spent many years in player development at professional clubs including Southampton FC, Bristol Rovers, and Portsmouth. From young players entering the academy at 7, right through to first-team positioning, Nick’s worked directly with footballers at every stage of their journey.
Before his work in football, Nick served for 20 years in the Armed Forces, earning three Royal commendations and later working with veterans who'd sustained serious, life-altering injuries.
His background shapes how he leads, valuing discipline, respect and accountability. He understands what it takes to work through challenges and has the skills to support people when it matters. It's this combination of football expertise, high expectation and life experience that defines how our programme runs.
He understands what it takes to nurture talent, build character, and prepare players for the professional game. Through this work, he's built genuine relationships and earned an esteemed reputation across the football world. Backed by trusted connections who know his standards, he is able to provide opportunities in the world of elite football and to expose our student athletes to experiences they will never forget.
Luke Russe
Luke brings professional playing experience and academic expertise to our programme. A former professional footballer at Bristol Rovers, he now competes at semi-professional level with Bath City, maintaining first-hand insight into the demands of the modern game.
His journey began locally within the North Somerset Regional Talent Centre before progressing into the Bristol Rovers Academy at age 13.
Alongside his playing career, Luke committed to his academic development, studying for six years to achieve a BSc in Sport, Fitness and Coaching through The Open University in partnership with Hartpury College. This pathway gives him a complete understanding of the journey from grassroots through to elite environments, and proves that sporting ambition doesn't have to come at the expense of academic success.
Before joining North Somerset Sports Foundation, Luke worked as a primary school teacher, giving him real classroom experience in delivering structured, engaging and personalised learning.
Luke is now a Further Education Sports Tutor with SCL, delivering our Post-16 programme at NSSF. His role combines high-quality classroom delivery with on-pitch coaching, strength and conditioning sessions, and AoC Tier 1 college fixtures. This dual expertise ensures students are supported both academically and athletically, experiencing a programme that demands high standards while remaining tailored to individual development.
About the course.
College done different.
Our Post 16 programme is delivered in partnership with SCL College.
With over 20 years of experience in sport, SCL delivers education through Sport Centred Learning.
This approach applies sporting principles such as discipline, resilience and focus directly to academic development.
Sport is used intentionally to scaffold learning, creating a structured environment where high expectations underpin both performance and progress.
Following their first full Ofsted inspection, SCL was rated Outstanding and Good across all areas and was highly commended for its strong teaching standards, high expectations and positive learner progression.
Achievement in the classroom is as ambitious as performance on the pitch.
Our course delivers….
Routes into football careers
Our learners are exposed to ambitious careers in football that extend beyond being paid to play.
The ambitions of our current class include nutritionists, data analysts and youth development.
Educational and academic excellence
Students pursue recognised educational qualifications that are gateways to higher education, apprenticeships, or vocational pathways.
These include an NCFE Level 3 diploma in Sport and options for A Level Business Studies.
Togetherness, empowerment and belonging
Our environment is built on community.
Our nurturing and supportive ethos builds friendships and team spirit.
Our student athletes are a community, not a class.
A high performance environment
Students train within a structured, high-performance environment led by UEFA A and B qualified coaches.
They benefit from access to excellent fitness facilities and an ambitious programme built on discipline, expectation and progression.
Functional skills development
Students are supported to develop essential functional skills, including Maths and English.
Delivered alongside their other studies, this ensures learners strengthen the core skills needed for further education, employment and long-term progression.
A view from beyond the pitch
Students benefit from guest speakers and industry insight across a range of sectors.
Broadening horizons and supporting informed future pathways, our speakers have delivered perspectives from financial education, elite sport and the armed forces.
Our Post 16 in numbers
So far, our student athletes have
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Education and learning
Dedicated 300 hours to education and academic study across Maths, English, Level 3 Sports and A Level
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On field development
Spent 150 hours on the pitch as players, developing technical, tactical and positional skills
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Strength and Conditioning
Committed 100 hours to structured Strength & Conditioning, athletic development and active recovery
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Guest speaker engagement
Spent 24 hours learning from invited expert speakers across the worlds of elite sports, high performance and player welfare
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Travel and fixtures
Travelled 350 miles to and from fixtures against professional clubs and top flight academic league opponents
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Culture of progression
Strengthened confidence, collaboration and personal maturity throughout the programme
Frequently Asked Questions
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No! Not at all. We welcome applications from girls and boys. We are incredibly passionate about accelerating the women’s game and work alongside our partner organisation North Somerset Regional Talent Centre who have an established and maturing girl’s programme. The U16 girls have just returned from a tour to Mallorca where they played some incredible opponents from across Europe, including Real Madrid.
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No. The course is fully funded by the Foundation. It is the only course of this nature in the region without a cost to families.
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No. We don’t have a requirement that you are good at football. An interest in the game would be an advantage, but it isn’t necessary to have experience. We recognise that every student brings a unique set of skills, and these are as valuable to our student team as scoring goals!
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No formal qualifications are needed. If students scored below a grade 4 in Maths or English GCSE, then these need to be taken again with us.
To be considered for our A Level Business Studies course, students will have needed to obtain 5 GCSEs at level 4 or above (these will need to include Maths and English).
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We are strong advocates for inclusivity and accessibility. Our student athletes benefit from small class sizes and lots of 1-2-1 or small group teacher support. The nature of the course means that we incorporate movement into our day, every day. We run our course on the principle that no student - with or without SEN requirements - is disadvantaged by classroom adaptations that make learning more accessible.