A GROUP of trainee sports coaches have received glowing reports in their efforts to help Bradford City Football Club’s stars of the future.

Five students taking the BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching course at Leeds Beckett University worked with the club’s academy over the past season as part of a new internship coaching project.

The group have worked to provide detailed match analysis to City’s under-14 side, and the club has been so pleased with the results officials are now looking at extending the project across the academy.

During their internship, the students were responsible for filming matches and training sessions, editing the footage and then presenting feedback to both players and coaches.

Dave Alder, who is one of the senior lecturers on the degree course, is also lead coach of the Bantams’ under-14 squad.

He said: “The students have been professional and reliable, and shown a real desire to produce high quality work.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to gain valuable experience within a professional club.

“It is enabling them to implement the material we cover on the BSc Sport Coaching degree in the real world.”

Warren Rayner, head of development phase at the Bradford City academy, said: “Through the work of the five Leeds Beckett students the players in our under-14s Academy age group have been shown clips of game footage and this has proved to be a very powerful tool in terms of highlighting technical and tactical issues.

“The students have been very professional, committed, and enthusiastic in carrying out this project.

“They have been well received by the players and our coaching staff.

“Based on the work undertaken so far, we would be happy to extend the project to our other academy teams.”

Student Sam Jackson said that he had “loved every single minute” of his internship role.

“Being a local Bradford lad and a season ticket holder at Bradford City from a very young age, this was an opportunity I couldn’t miss,” he said.

“I’ve been really impressed with the professionalism of the coaching set-up at Bradford, and it’s been inspiring to see the methods and communication techniques used by the coaches, as well as their coaching behaviours.

“I’ve taken so much away from it already, and it’s been of great benefit to me in my own development as a sport coach.

“Our work with the academy at Bradford has been very well received - the players we have worked with have completely bought in to our approach.

“Being able to put into practice what I’m learning in the classroom has been fantastic.”