Football club youth academy returns “home”

The club which runs the academy in partnership with Hartlepool Sixth Form College, has reached agreement with Hartlepool Borough Council’s Active Hartlepool service to use the facilities at Brierton, including the 3G pitches.

The academy - previously based in Durham - provides opportunities for young student-athletes to study a range of academic and technical courses at the college alongside developing their football skills training and playing at the academy.

(l-r): Craig Mitchelson, Active Hartlepool Facilities Manager; Ian Gardiner, Head of Service: Active and Creative Hartlepool; Cllr Gary Allen; Alex Cross and Dr Michele Di Mascio.

Councillor Gary Allen, Chair of the Council’s Adult and Community Based Services Committee, said: “I am delighted that agreement has been reached to bring Hartlepool United FC’s youth academy to Brierton Sports Centre.

“It would be great if we can play even a small part in helping to nurture the next generation of potential first team stars through the use of our facilities.”

Alex Cross, Hartlepool United FC Academy Manager, said: “It is great to bring the academy back to town and link with our partners at Brierton Sports Centre. The opportunity to work closely with Brierton and the Council enables us to bring all teams from U16s through to the U19s to the heart of the community.

“We look forward to a strong working relationship that I have no doubt will progress over time.”

All of the youth teams will train at Brierton, with the U16s, U17s and the Shadow Youth Team playing their fixtures there too.

Dr Michele Di Mascio, Hartlepool Sixth Form College’s Head of Sports Academies, Partnerships and Wellbeing, added: “We are excited to be working with Hartlepool United FC and Hartlepool Borough Council to ensure we have the best football academy in Hartlepool which is exactly what the town deserves.

“The partnership brings fantastic opportunities for our student-athletes to grow academically, athletically and personally, while strengthening our commitment to supporting the wider Hartlepool community. This is the next step to ensure our ambitions of being a national leader in sport.”