ACADEMY: “I’d Definitely Recommend It” – Student Praise For Harrow College

MEET Triumph Anioke – a Harrow College student whose on-field performances have earned him a call into the Stones’ Under-19 academy National League Youth Alliance squad.

The 18-year-old is relishing the chance to combine elite level youth football with his studies at Harrow College – based near the centre of the town and able to provide excellent facilities.

It’s one of three locations from which Wealdstone FC runs its Academy offerings for aspiring young talent aged between 16 and 23.

Get to know Triumph a little better with this mini-Q&A:

Who or what was your inspiration for getting into football when you were really young?

I’ve always loved football from a young age. I enjoyed playing it with my friends and watching other players, which made me want to get better and take the game more seriously.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining the Wealdstone academy at Harrow?

I’d definitely recommend it. You get to improve your game, learn new things and meet good people. The coaches help you develop, and it’s a good place to push yourself and become a better player. I’d just say work hard, listen and enjoy it.

Can you describe how much you feel you’ve developed as a person and player since you started at Harrow?

I feel like I’ve improved a lot both as a player and as a person. My confidence has grown, and I understand the game a lot better now. I’ve also learned to be more disciplined, work harder and deal with different situations. I know I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’m happy with how far I’ve come and want to keep improving.

A Little Bit More About Harrow…

ACCESSIBLE and versatile, the Harrow College campus is right next door to London Underground and enjoys usage of some of central Harrow’s best facilities.

As a choice for a would-be Wealdstone FC star of the future, it provides an ideal mix of football coaching and development alongside a wide variety of educational and vocational options.

“Socially it’s a really good option too,” explains Elliot Minto, the club’s Academy Technical Manager.

“Students that are with Wealdstone mix across with others due to the great choices Harrow has to offer in terms of traditional A-Levels and other different opportunities like BTECs and some more specialised vocational qualifications.

“Just along the road into town, Harrow School kindly grant usage of their excellent facilities for training. Allied to that is Harrow College’s gym, where our first-team Strength & Conditioning Coach Josh Magan will have an input on the work the lads are doing.”

There’s a clear focus to adhere to ‘The Wealdstone Way’ of doing things across all three academy sites – and, at Harrow, that’s augmented by first-team striker Fela Olomola who takes the students for one of their weekly training sessions.

Minto says: “The young people are getting that exposure to someone with lived experience of coming through youth set-ups into football as well as knowing that a person with Wealdstone at heart is helping to guide part of their football development journey.”

Harrow College students who are part of the Stones’ academy represent the club at Under-18 level with two teams in different divisions of The Tactics League, providing the chance for high-performing players to step up.

“If they’re doing well, they can get promoted into either of our regional or national Under-19 squads,” adds Minto.

“Coaches will work further with any such players, so there are always eyes on our young footballers looking to provide a pathway based on merit.”

Interested?

Sounds good? Visit our Academy Harrow College homepage HERE for useful links and contact information.