PUPILS have kicked off a specialist football course which runs in conjunction with their secondary school education.

Academies across East Ayrshire were invited to get involved in the scheme which develops talented footballers towards being better players.

Following a two-week induction event during the summer break, the National Progression Award (NPA) in Sports and Fitness is up and running.

It is being delivered twice a week by fully qualified football coaches at Ayrshire College, in partnership with Ayr United Football Academy and Kilmarnock FC.

Practical sessions in playing and coaching take place, as the NPA course is designed to assess a defined set of skills and knowledge in specialist vocational areas.

One of the coaches who will be delivering the course is 19-year-old Ross Black, who studied the HND Sports Coaching and Developing course at Ayrshire College last year.

Ross is a youth and community coach at Kilmarnock FC who coaches their Under-11 team.

He said: “I think it’s massive for football clubs of this size to get involved in the community. Kilmarnock FC is a huge club with a fantastic history, and they do so many things for so many different types of people.

“On a personal level I enjoy working with young footballers as they’re a blank canvas with no bad habits. To see footballers develop themselves is very rewarding.”

Ayrshire College works regularly in partnership with Kilmarnock Football Club and another former student who is now working with the club is Kirsty Munro.

Kirsty is Youth and Community Administrator at the Kilmarnock Community Sports Trust, and said: “We have a link with the College where we are able to give students the opportunity to volunteer at our sessions, so I am able to help them in a coaching environment.

“There are a number of students who we currently have volunteering at our Football Centre and Mini Kickers sessions.”

NPA courses are delivered to secondary school pupils alongside their chosen subjects.

Ashleigh Brown, School/College Partnership Officer at Ayrshire College, said: “The NPA courses are offered to give secondary school pupils a wider selection of vocational subjects.

“We want to offer courses that complement school subjects, so that they can learn new skills in a subject that they are interested in.”