The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) Sports Academy

A guide to our specialist physical education for students aged 16+

Our Aim

To establish RNC as a centre of sporting excellence in the UK

Our Mission

To provide sporting opportunities at every level for those who are blind or partially sighted, enabling them to achieve their full potential and be the best they can be.

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Our Vision

“Sport is so much more than physical activity. It helps to develop confidence, communication skills team work, and self esteem as well as general health and well-being.”

“People who are blind or partially sighted often have limited access to sports in school, college and their communities as a whole, which in turn means they miss out on learning these crucial developmental skills alongside their fully sighted peers.”

“The RNC Sports Academy has been launched to address this imbalance. Having been at the forefront of Visually Impaired (VI) sport for the last 20 years, we have developed our facilities and recruited expert coaches to deliver outstanding individualised sports programmes for our students.”

“Young people from across the UK are already benefiting from being able to access sport alongside their studies at RNC. The Academy provides opportunities to participate in sport at all levels, together with peer group support which is invaluable as students learn from and with each other, developing to their full potential.”

“The 2012 Paralympics helped to raise awareness of just how much can be achieved in disability sport. Our Sports Academy, the first of its kind in the UK, is part of this legacy, supporting Paralympians of the future to

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achieve their goals. The pathways are there, the ambition is clear; access to sport for all. We are here to help you achieve it.”

Sheila Tallon, RNC Principal

Our Partners

The Football Association

“We are proud to be working in partnership with the RNC Sports Academy. The Academy plays a key role in identifying and developing talent for the national player performance pathway and provides the best opportunity for VI footballers to reach their full potential”

Jeff Davis, National Development Manager, Disability

Goalball UK

“Goalball UK continues to benefit immensely from our partnership with the RNC Sports Academy. It is a great environment for people who are visually impaired to truly learn and progress in sport, particularly Goalball and has a major impact on transforming their individual lives”

Mike Reilly, Chief Executive, Goalball UK

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England Golf

“On behalf of the England Golf Partnership we look forward to supporting golfing activity within the RNC Sports Academy. We believe in the partnering of sport with education and through the Academy we hope that VI participants not only develop their golf but themselves to achieve their goals”

Jamie Blair, Disability Manager, England Golf

Shrewsbury Town FC

“We are both proud and privileged to be working together with the RNC Sports Academy. The Academy is helping us increase our provision of disability sports in the region and in time we hope we can identify the next England Blind International Footballer”

Jamie Edwards, Shrewsbury Town Community Sports Trust Manager

Honorary president

Tony LarkinFormer GB Blind Football Coach, former Professional Footballer

Our patron

Dave ClarkeFormer GB Blind Football Captain - England’s greatest goal scorer

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Our ambassadors

Des KellySports Broadcaster and Journalist

Danny MillsFormer England Footballer

Laura Perry GB Women’s Goalball Team, former RNC student

Dan EnglishEngland and GB Blind Footballer, former RNC student

Quote from Danny Mills, Former England Footballer and RNC Ambassador:

“It’s about being the best you can be”

How does it work? Sport alongside your studies

As part of the RNC Sports Academy you can enjoy up to eight hours a week dedicated to all aspects of your sport. You can study either one or a combination of sports on an

individual programme tailored to your needs. The main

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sports on offer at the Academy are B1 and partially sighted football, goalball and golf, however a wide variety of other sports are available, including Boccia, cricket, athletics, netball, tennis, and many more.

Expert coaches

We work with you to ensure you reach your full potential in your sport. There are no limits, just opportunities to train with expert coaches and players from the GB squads to improve your skills and unlock your individual talents. We provide a variety of opportunities to experience new sports and are at the forefront of development for visually impaired sports in the UK, working with the national governing bodies in sport, including The FA, IBSA, Goalball UK, England Golf, British Blind Sport.

Talent identification days

If you are keen to progress your sport and show clear potential in training, the RNC Sports Academy will support you in attending talent identification days where scouts from the national teams will assess your potential for progression.

Academy memberships to suit you6

Full Sports Academy member

As a full member of the Sports Academy you can enjoy up to eight hours a week of training dedicated to all aspects of your sport. This is designed to help you achieve your ambitions at elite level and will hopefully lead to you competing in international tournaments.

In addition to skills based coaching, you will study a sports focused course at a level specifically chosen to meet your needs. More information on courses can be found on page 18.

Enrichment programme

If you love sport but are interested in studying other subjects, this programme is perfect for you. The RNC Academy enrichment programme will allow you to progress up to elite level in your chosen sport, including timetabled sports sessions, whilst studying subjects of your choice.

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ASPIRE programme

Created for students on our ASPIRE programme, you can take part in sport alongside your studies. The Aspire programme is designed to help you gain practical experience and learn key life skills to be able to progress into the world of work. Combined with the communication, mobility and teamwork skills learnt through playing sport as part of the Academy, you will leave RNC with a full range of skills to help you achieve your goals.

Our coaches

Jon Pugh

Head Coach - England and Great Britain Blind Football Team and RNC Sports Academy Coach

A keen sportsman with a passion for football and an affinity for coaching, Jon is motivated by helping young people at all levels of ability to reach their full potential. Whilst playing semi-professional football at the age of 17, Jon was selected as sighted goalkeeper for the England and GB Blind Football team and played over 100 games at international level.

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The move from goalkeeper to assistant coach, after the Beijing Paralympics in 2008, marked the start of Jon’s coaching career. He was also appointed Head Coach for the RNC Football Academy, the first of its kind in the UK. Growing from just six students back in 2008 to well over 30, Jon is proud to be working with the RNC Sports Academy, developing pathways for both regional and national competitions in a variety of sports. As Head Coach for England and GB Blind Football, he is in an ideal position to do so.

Adam Bendall

B1 Development Coach - The Football Association and RNC Sports Academy Coach – Lead co-ordinator football and golf

Adam showed a flair for sport from a young age and was scouted by a range of Premier League clubs at the age of 11, including Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff City, choosing Cardiff due to his Welsh heritage.

After representing his country six times, and winning the Victory Shield for Wales, serious injury forced Adam to reconsider his sporting career. Adam joined

Hereford United FC as their Disability Officer, also achieving his Level 2 football badge and his UEFA B

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qualification, one of the youngest people in England to do so.

Adam is working tirelessly to develop other routes into sport for young disabled people and is working closely with professional golf clubs in and around the county to establish a recognised development pathway.

Aaron FordPerformance Manager and LeadPerformance Coach - GB Women’s Goalball Squad and RNC Sports Academy Teacher

An enthusiastic sportsman and qualified teacher and coach, Aaron has been competing in both team and individual sports since the age of 6. Having worked with young people who are blind or partially sighted for over eight years coaching football, swimming, boxing and athletics, Aaron chose to specialise in goalball.

Aaron’s passion for talent development led to his selection as performance coach for the national GB women’s goalball squad and he is developing pathways at the Academy for students to progress from grass roots through to a professional level in both the men’s and women’s national squads.

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All of the Academy Coaches have competed at national and international levels in their specialist sports and have the knowledge and experience to help support students training to compete at professional levels.

Football

Blind Football is based on traditional 5-a-side Futsal, but the pitch is surrounded by boards and the ball contains ball bearings to allow players to locate it by sound.

The first blind football competition was played in 1989 and, under the leadership of Tony Larkin, the first head coach of the blind and partially sighted team, RNC has been building on the last 20 years of experience to master training and development for the next generation of blind and visually impaired players.

Footballers at all levels are welcome at the RNC Sports Academy. Coaches will work with you to develop an understanding of spatial awareness, orientation and communication skills before supporting you out on the pitch. All of the basic principles of football are covered, including control, passing, dribbling and shooting, as coaches work with you to understand your individual needs and develop your unique, personalised training programme.

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There are opportunities to play in national leagues and a newly formed partnership with Shrewsbury Town Football Club gives you the opportunity to work with coaches from a professional team.

Real stories:

Harry Gibbons

“Growing up I enjoyed sport like most kids but worryingly started to lose some of my sight at the age of nine. By the age of 14 I was playing partially sighted football with my local Football Association.”

“I played a lot of football at school and when I went to train with the FA visually impaired football development squad at RNC I had a chance to see what was on offer. My mum was convinced straight away that this was where I should be heading, but I was unsure. I was well integrated in mainstream and didn’t view myself as someone who needed to go to a specialist college.”

“I couldn’t have been more wrong! Being at RNC has changed me from a footballer with some natural ability and confidence into a potential professional sportsman. I now train properly both on the pitch and in the gym, my running has definitely improved and I’m even looking at athletics and my potential to compete as a sprinter.

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“The future is looking good and I hope to play for country one day. Being a professional sportsman is my dream, but if and when playing sport doesn’t provide a career for me I will use the qualifications I am gaining at RNC and become a personal trainer.”

Harry currently plays for Westfields FC youth team alongside sighted players in the Midlands floodlit league and also RNC Shrews, the RNC Visually Impaired Football Team. Harry is also training hard in athletics, with a view to competing nationally.

Quote from Harry Gibbons:

“Being at RNC has changed me from a footballer with some natural ability and Confidence into a potential professional sportsman”

Goalball

Goalball is one of the only sports where there isn’t a sighted version. It was originally developed as rehabilitation for visually impaired World War II veterans.

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The game is played by two teams of three players, male and female. All players wear eyeshades and the ball contains bells to help players locate it.

The object of the game is to score by bowling the ball along the floor, crossing the goal line of the other team.

As one of the highest representing clubs in the UK, RNC Goalball players currently compete at all three levels in the national league: novice, intermediate and elite. Players train

five days a week for at least an hour in each session. RNC has strong links with Goalball UK, hosting talent camps and international tournaments to help drive the sport and increase participation. Members of the GB male and female squads mentor RNC Sports Academy students, using their own first-hand experience to build confidence and nurture the next generation of sporting talent.

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Real stories:

Laura Perry“I’ve always been sporty, but never dreamt I would be lining up as part of the GB Women’s squad representing my country in a sport I love.

“I had my heart set on a career as a physical training officer for the RAF but, the week before my seventeenth birthday, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and lost most of my sight. For the first time in my life I stopped playing sport.”

“I didn’t even know goalball existed before I went to RNC. The feeling I get when I throw a really hard ball is difficult to describe. The power I used to feel when I could see, playing rugby or in goal at hockey – I get a bit of that back when playing goalball and I love it!”

Laura was selected to play for Great Britain in 2014 and is hoping to represent her country in the Rio Paralympics 2016. She is an ambassador and mentor for the RNC Sports Academy.Quote from Laura Perry:

“I’ve always been sporty, but never dreamt I would be lining up as part of the GB Women’s squad representing my country in a sport I love”

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Golf

Golf is a sport for all and can be played by people with all levels of visual impairment. You can play individually or with a group of up to 4 players for a round

Those with a more profound visual impairment may require a guide to help position them in order to take the shot. Guides advise on the distance to the hole andposition the player for direction but it is the player who chooses the club they wish to use and makes the swing themselves. RNC is working together with the England Golf Partnership and England and Wales Blind Golf to ensure you have the opportunity to play golf both at RNC and back in your home area. This link also helps us to compete in national competitions and we are working with England Golf to develop more national pathways for the sport.

Our links with Burghill Valley Golf Club in Hereford help us to give you the best golfing experience, both on and off the golf course and in the driving range.

Real stories:

Matt Spellar

“I started playing golf when I was 11 and have played on a regular basis ever since. When I was 18 I was diagnosed with an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disease of the retina, and my eyesight is slowly deteriorating. This means I don’t have any vision at night and I’m now colour blind.”

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“I continue to play golf at my club and to take part in club competitions with members who have full vision. My eyesight is continuing to deteriorate and I now have to rely on other members lining me up on the tee and fairways. They also have to show me where my ball lands.”

“I had no idea places like RNC existed as my sight was ok when I was at school. I had never considered going to a specialist college. The College gives you the confidence and support to help you get back on your feet and into the working environment. I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Matt is realising his ambitions within the golfing world through a Temporary Employment Position (TEP) at Burghill Golf Club in Herefordshire, where he did work experience alongside his training at RNC. His duties include working in the Club shop, stock taking, customer service through face to face and telephone contact and scheduling bookings for tee times.

Quotes from Matt Spellar:

“It’s really good to be working again after a few years of looking for employment,” said Matt. “I’m enjoying using my knowledge of golf, together with the business skills I learnt at RNC.”

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“The College gives you the confidence and support to help you get back on your feet and into the working environment. I’d recommend it to anyone”

Courses

To help you achieve your ambitions of working in sport, as a full member of the RNC Sports Academy you can study an NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness and NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training

NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing, Exercise and FitnessA basic entry qualification for instructors, at the end of the course you will be able to:

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• Demonstrate knowledge of the body’s systems and the effect of exercise on them• Screen participants medically and refer to appropriate authorities where necessary• Demonstrate relevant health and safety considerations• Prescribe exercise for participants without special considerations• Have basic knowledge of exercise constraints for participants with special considerations• Design safe and effective exercise schedules• Perform safe and effective exercise instruction• Set up and take down sport & recreation equipment• Prepare and instruct gym based fitness sessions

NVQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal TrainingThis course is considered an advanced entry qualification for the industry. In addition to skills learnt at Level 2, at the end of the course students will be able to:

• Have an enhanced knowledge of exercise constraints for participants with special considerations• Apply the principles of nutrition to personal training programmes• Plan and deliver safe and effective Physical Activity and Exercise Programmes• Perform safe and effective Physical Activity and Exercise instruction• Review, evaluate and analyse instruction of Physical Activity and Exercise Programmes

For both courses you will enjoy excellent opportunities for the development of work based practical skills through evening classes. In the classes you can assist

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under supervision in a state of the art facility where all equipment is Inclusive Fitness Initiative accredited.

You will also have the opportunity to participate in, and ultimately instruct, a series of fitness classes that are open to local community users, other students and staff in thePoint4, a real working fitness suite.

On successful completion of the course you will receive certification which entitles you to practice within the industry.

More information on entry requirements can be found at www.rnc.ac.uk

Frequently asked questions

I’d like to become a professional athlete but am still keen to go to University – how can the Sports Academy help?

The RNC Sports Academy is the only

place in the UK where you can play blind and visually impaired sport alongside your studies, helping you to achieve your academic and sporting potential. Whatever your ambition, the RNC Sports Academy can help you realise it. We’re here to help you be the best you can be.

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I’m interested in working in sport but prefer coaching to playing

RNC offers NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness and NVQ level 3 Diploma in Personal Training. Study alongside your sport and learn the key coaching skills you will need to succeed.

Key partnerships with the FA and Goalball UK provide opportunities to participate in FA Level 1 Certificate in Coaching and Football and Level 1 Coaching Blind Footballers, both of which offer lots of opportunities for progression.

I really enjoy sport but am studying other subjects

The opportunity to get involved in sport is available for each RNC student even if you are not studying sport. RNC offers a wide range of qualifications including A Levels, NVQs and BTECs to help you progress on to University or employment. More information on courses can be found at www.rnc.ac.uk

Why should I choose RNC?

As well as being a member of the UK’s first VI Sports Academy, you will benefit from training in mobility, independent living skills and ICT, all tailored to suit your individual needs. There are also options to learn braille as part of your course.

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If you are keen to take part in sport at any level, the Academy Coaches will help you to achieve your goals.

For more information visit the RNC website

www.rnc.ac.uk, call 01432 376 621 or email info@rnc.ac.uk

About RNC

Here at The Royal National College for the Blind we have created a fresh, vibrant and supportive environment to start you on an incredible new pathway and begin turning your dreams into reality.

Studying or training at a residential college is an important decision. The college experience is more than just vocational and academic qualifications. It’s about achievement beyond the classroom, a time when you start to develop the self-confidence, personal independence and communication skills you need for your next step. This is your journey, your future.

From weekly recreational clubs to competitive sport at a national level, there is a wide range of activities both in the evenings and at weekends to get involved in. Students also have timetabled weekly sessions to

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access RNC’s wider ‘learning and leisure’ activities where you are encouraged to develop new skills and experience new opportunities.

Living at RNC

All student accommodation is on RNC’s lively but compact campus, just a 25 minute walk from Hereford city centre.

Our Halls of Residence provide a range of accommodation including single en-suite study bedrooms with shared kitchen and social areas – all with 24/7 support and matched to your individual needs and goals. A range of fresh, healthy and delicious food is served in our Bistro, or you can choose to self-cater.

A team of health specialists (nurses, counsellor, wellbeing officers) offer advice and support to ensure your time at RNC is both healthy and happy. Well-established links with local providers of all faiths and a visiting College Chaplain serve our diverse student population.

Stay up to date with RNC activity via:

facebook.com/RNCHerefordtwitter.com/RNC_officialyoutube.com/RNCHereford

Visit us: RNC’s unique and inspiring environment has to be experienced to be believed and we would encourage

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you, your family and any professionals who work with you to visit.

Just call the Student Enquiries line to arrange a tour date on 01432 376 621 or email info@rnc.ac.uk

Quote from Dave Clarke, Former GB Blind Football Captain and Sports Academy Patron:

“I have a strong belief in the power of sport to encourage, inspire and drive people forward to achieve their full potential and pledge my full support to the RNC Sports Academy”

For further information contact:

Student EnquiriesThe Royal National College for the BlindVenns Lane, Hereford, HR1 1DTTelephone: 01432 376 621Email: info@rnc.ac.ukWebsite: www.rnc.ac.uk

Equality and Diversity at RNC

RNC welcomes a diverse population of students and staff. We aim to ensure that our college environment is free from prejudice and harassment. In all aspects of delivery and employment, no individual or group will be discriminated against on the grounds of gender, marital status, gender reassignment, age, disability, race, religion and belief or sexual orientation. For further information on our policies on Equal Opportunities and

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Diversity, please contact us or visit our website: www.rnc.ac.uk

Company limited by guarantee no. 2367626. Registered charity no. 1000388. The information provided is correct at time of printing. RNC Copyright 2014.pany

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