Perth Glory have announced a partnership with Lake Joondalup Baptist College (LJBC) which will see them become an official PGFC Academy School.
As a result, the prestigious northern suburbs college has become the third school to partner with the club, joining John Curtin College of the Arts and St. Andrew’s Grammar in offering a 12-month program which will provide a unique opportunity for highly-motivated young players to develop their football through additional training sessions, whilst also enabling them to continue with their education.
John Walmsley, LJBC Teacher and Football Coach, believes that the partnership with Glory will massively enhance the school’s already highly-regarded Football Academy.
“We are delighted that Lake Joondalup Baptist College has become a Perth Glory Academy School,” he said.
“This link will provide many benefits for students within our Football Academy and provide alignment to a professional football pathway.
“This partnership will allow us to maximise the potential of each player’s development on and off the pitch, as well as expanding opportunities for talent identification.
“Our Football Academy students will now have weekly strength and conditioning sessions with Perth Glory coaches and access to Perth Glory Nutritionists and Sports Psychologists through our Leadership Program.
“This will allow us to continue to further develop our students on and off the pitch into hopefully not only better footballers, but also better people.”
Former Glory midfielder Brad Hassell, who coaches at LJBC, echoed the sentiments of Walmsley.
“We are excited about the potential of this partnership with Perth Glory and how it will help us continue to evolve our program,” he said.
“We aim to provide a challenging, yet enjoyable learning environment at LJBC and will be able to offer greater opportunities for our male and female footballers through our collaboration with Perth Glory and participation in Perth Glory Football School events.”
A-League legend Terry McFlynn, who is currently Perth Glory’s Football Operations Manager, was similarly enthused by the partnership.
“LJBC has a fantastic reputation both in terms of its football program and academic results, making it very much a natural fit for the club as we expand our PGFC Academy Schools program into the northern suburbs,” he said.
“We are very excited at working closely with John, Brad and the rest of the staff to maximise the opportunities for the school’s students and replicate the great success that we have already enjoyed at both John Curtin College of the Arts and St. Andrew’s Grammar.
“The PGFC Academy shares LJBC’s strong commitment to producing both better footballers and better people and we look forward to developing this partnership in the coming years.”
Trial Registration for the LJBC Football Academy is now open for both male and female students in Years 4 – 12 for 2022. Those interested can register by clicking here.
