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Martin O'Connor's team nets a new home

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A leading football academy – run by Walsall favourite Martin O'Connor – has a new home after teaming up with a Staffordshire school.

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The Martin O'Connor Education & Football Academy (MOCEFA) runs in partnership with Chasetown FC.

It's moving from Chasetown's Scholars Ground, though, and will instead be based at Norton Canes High School.

Launched last year, the academy aims to develop players for Chasetown's first-team, while also providing them with the qualifications needed to have successful careers in sport and business.

Run similar to youth set-ups at professional clubs, players train in the morning before heading into the classroom in the afternoon.

But such has been its rapid growth over the past 12 months, O'Connor required a new home that would provide first-class facilities both in sporting terms and academically.

He said: "The academy has done fantastically well in it's first year. Football wise, we finished third in the Football Conference Youth Alliance.

"But we need to develop and improve our facilities and standards. I want us to progress.

"The partnership with Norton Canes High School – which is a really progressive school – fits fantastically well.

"When I spoke to the headteacher, I realised the school has the same aims and targets as what I have for my academy.

"It is always striving to grow and be better. So we came to a decision that it would benefit both parties if we joined forces."

O'Connor enjoyed a successful playing career that saw him lead Walsall to promotion into the old Division Two in 1995.

He was also part of the Birmingham City side that contested the 2001 League Cup final with Liverpool.

Now it's continued success with his academy that he is determined to achieve, with the former midfielder delighted with how the first year has gone.

He continued: "It's hard work, but all the lads can see we are trying to do things in the right way.

"In many ways, what we are doing is similar to the scholarships they run at universities in America.

"We have to provide patience and understanding but if you respect these guys, then they show you respect back.

"We had 33 lads last season and for next year we currently have between 45 and 50.

"I can remember thinking would we ever get 30. But word is spreading, so it all bodes well for the future.

"In our first year, to have that kind of response and impact on the community is fantastic."

While things have gone well on the pitch, it's the success in the classroom that has really pleased O'Connor.

The 48-year-old said: "Education wise we are flying. Of the courses we ran last season, 32 lads passed and we have one result pending.

"We believe we will have a 100 per cent pass rate. The GCSE results come out in August and we expect to do well there.

"And generally the boys have been fantastic. The attendance is 95 per cent so, for me, it's a really great thing to be a part of.

"We are football academy but it's not about football. It's education that drives us. Yes we want to improve them as footballers. Yes we want them to be driven.

"But the aim is to give these lads a pathway. We want them to be able to go out and get a job in the sporting industry – which is where they want to be."

O'Connor believes teaming up with the school will be hugely beneficial for his young players.

He said: "We will still be playing under Chasetown in the FA Youth Alliance. The club has been fantastic for us and they want us to continue playing as Chasetown.

"But we need better facilities and Norton Canes offers us better facilities. We have got pitches, sports halls, gyms, our own classrooms and IT suites.

"Everything that I want for my academy is here, in one site. The idea was always to move to a venue like this.

"But you have got to add into the forward thinking attitude of the head teacher as well the sports department here. It helps to all have the same drive and ambition."

Norton Canes High School was praised in a recent Ofsted report with it obtaining an overall effectiveness rating of 'good' by inspectors.

It was particularly praised for its quality of teaching, learning and assessment, as well as the effectiveness of its leadership and management.

Headteacher Sara Birchall believes its partnership with O'Connor's academy shows the progress the school is making.

She said: "After meeting at a careers event, it became clear very quickly that the school and the football academy have a very similar approach.

"We both like to nurture talent and develop people no matter their route.

"We saw we were on the same educational track and shared the same philosophy, so we started talking and very quickly it became a reality.

"We have got outstanding sporting facilitates and outstanding classroom facilities.

"The academy is going to be fully integrated into the school so we are going to benefit from their expertise and professional coaching with Martin.

"It's a school very much on the up. We have just had a very good Ofsted report.

"I think this shows we are going from strength to strength and that we explore further opportunities to develop young people.

"It's all that theme of anything this is possible. And whatever you dream here, we can make it happen."

Any young players interested in joining O'Connor's academy can email him at moc@mocefa.co.uk.

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