Sport - Athlete Development Programme

The TASS Athlete Development Programme is an academy designed to develop athletes that don’t participate in rugby or football but instead specialise in another sport. This could be an individual sport or another team sport but the fundamentals remain the same. An individualised training plan consisting of Strength & Conditioning, Recovery, Performance Analysis and skill development tailored to your sport and runs alongside your course of study. Over the year, the college will enter you in events/tournaments/games and provide you with all the support you need to achieve your goals and gain a dual career.

Your week will be balanced between your coursework, classes and ADP development sessions. All sportsmen and women will be able to make use of the College's top class fitness testing and conditioning facilities and access high level coaching and support. We pride ourselves on having the best staff around.

In charge of the Academy of Sport is Ben Severn who has worked at Doncaster Rovers FC, Sheffield Wednesday FC, Rotherham United FC as well as the English Colleges National team. He has been in and around elite sports performance and worked in the USA studying their athlete development set ups into professional competitions.

Head Rugby Coach Mark Applegarth is the Head of Youth at Wakefield Trinity as well as a former Super league player himself and part of the England Talent Pathway as a National team coach.

Tutors are industry experts that pass on their knowledge and experience. We have a former body building World Champion (UIBBN & INBF), former athletes and tutors with international coaching experience and guest coaches from professional clubs and current professional athletes.

You can study any course in college whilst on the ADP however it complements the courses in sport ranging from Level 1 Sport to Level 3 Sport including Sport & Exercise Science courses. On these you will study modules such as Coaching and Leadership, Anatomy, Biomechanics, Nutrition, Psychology, Massage, Performance Analysis plus much more. Your programme will include a supervised Strength and Conditioning programme, recovering and injury management, including access to our own Sports Therapist, nutrition and lifestyle management, video analysis, mental skills and psychology and preparation for your competition.

We are a TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) accredited site which is the Sport England national benchmark of providing dual careers, balancing academics while you develop and compete in your chosen sport. We were the first College in the north of England to be awarded the accreditation and shows our commitment to developing young athletes.

You must meet the entry requirements for your chosen programme of study. Individual athletes will also be asked to provide a reference from their coach or their governing body, as well as a College assessment. Your place on the ADP will depend on your continued progress on your main course of study.

Students leaving the Athlete Development Programme and completing the Level 3 programmes, can go on to study a degree either at Wakefield Colleges University Centre or other UK universities. There is also the option to look at opportunities overseas. Several previous successful students have gone on to receive scholarships both in the UK and in America.

Our main goal is for you to become a professional athlete however the demands, time, money and sacrifices depending on your sport make it difficult. That is why we pride ourselves on giving you a dual career. Something you enjoy doing and can earn money whilst you carry on your sporting journey.

Past students are targeting future Olympic and Commonwealth games whilst also working in the sports industry (worth over £20 billion) as coaches, nutritionists, analysists, development officers, teachers and much more.