Exeter College Hosts Junior Premier League Girls Teams

Exeter City Community Trust and Exeter College look forward to welcoming Tottenham and Crystal Palace to the Exwick Sports Hub this November as part of the ever-growing programme for women’s and girls’ football here in Exeter.

The Exeter City Junior Premier League U15 girls team is one of three sides representing the city in England’s largest national youth football league, which includes 2,500 teams, and places an emphasis on player development in order to combine the best aspects of grassroots football and academy setups.

The team is managed by the Exeter City Community Trust as part of their wider girls’ development centre programme, which provides opportunities for young players of all ages to develop their technical and tactical, psychological, physical, and social skills in a professional, engaging, and supportive environment.

The development centre is led by Exeter College alumni and former Exeter City Women’s Football Club manager, Aaron Wakely, who works in partnership with the College to deliver our Women’s Football Academy.

Speaking on the partnership and the upcoming fixtures, Aaron Wakely said that “the partnership between Exeter College and the Community Trust has played a transformational role in the development of women’s and girls’ football here in Exeter.”

“In recent years it’s been a privilege to work with the College and see the rapid progress made at all levels of the game, which has resulted in several players graduating from our development centre and the College Academy to represent the football club’s women’s team at the senior level with great success.”

“The JPL is the most recent addition to our wider women and girls’ programme, and Tottenham and Crystal Palace’s visits show the energy and ambition that we have for the game and will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talent that we have here in our part of the country.”

“Given all that we have done in partnership with the College in the past few years to grow the game and support young people on and off the pitch, it’s perfect that we will be hosting these fixtures at the hub and I’m sure that it will be a positive experience for all involved, not least the players, who are the driving force behind all that we do.”

Alex Boyle, Head of Sport at Exeter College, commented; “It’s a real pleasure to be hosting the Exeter City Junior Premier League U15 Girls team for two high-quality fixtures against internationally renowned football clubs, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Our strong relationship with Exeter City Community Trust and Exeter City Football Club ensures we continue to support women’s and girls’ sport, from under-16 football right through to the Exeter City Women’s first team.”

“I hope the players thrive in both fixtures and enjoy experiencing the College environment, inspiring them to work towards studying at Exeter College and joining our Women’s Football Academy in the future.”

Exeter College and Exeter City Women Relaunch Women’s Football Academy

Exeter College is excited to announce the relaunch of its Women’s Football Academy in partnership with Exeter City Women, offering an enhanced pathway for aspiring female footballers. This renewed collaboration will provide students with access to high-level coaching, top-class facilities, and elite playing opportunities, all while studying at an Outstanding college.

With a stronger alignment between Exeter College and Exeter City Women, the academy now offers even more opportunities for players to develop their game both on and off the pitch.

What’s New?

This refreshed partnership strengthens the academy’s existing offering, allowing players to:

Train a minimum of 3 times per week within their college timetable

Compete in the highest level college leagues and national cup competitions

Access Strength & Conditioning and Sports Therapy support

Benefit from video analysis and game reviews to enhance performance

Play beyond college within Exeter City Women’s playing pyramid

A Renewed Partnership for Greater Opportunities

Sports Academy Manager, Chris Wall, said:

“This relaunch is a fantastic step forward for the Women’s Football Academy. Our renewed partnership with Exeter City Women strengthens the pathway for female players looking to develop at an elite level. With top-quality coaching, excellent facilities, and the opportunity to progress beyond college, this is an exciting time for women’s football at Exeter College.”

Additionally, the partnership now includes accommodation support, making the academy more accessible to talented players from outside the local area.

Upcoming Trial – Be Part of the Next Chapter!

To celebrate this exciting relaunch, we are inviting aspiring female footballers to attend our upcoming trial session. This is a great chance to showcase your ability, train with our expert coaching team, and experience the academy’s professional environment.

Date: Tuesday 1st April 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Location: Exwick Sports Hub (3G Surface)

Exeter College and Exeter City FC: Two Decades of Football Excellence and Community Impact

Now in its twentieth year, the partnership between Exeter College and Exeter City Football Club is a shining example of how education can make an impact in the community it serves and how that community can help shape young lives. This partnership boasts over 100 students on its academy teams, which includes men and women’s football, CEFA and futsal.

The partnership has made significant achievements during this time, including the growth in academy numbers, and investment in facilities for students and the community, providing a pathway for those aiming to be professional players, and a foundation degree linked with Exeter City Football Club and Plymouth Marjon University.

Showing no sign of slowing down, the College and the Club, with further support from the University of Exeter and Alphington Football Club, have recently invested in spectator seating, pitch side at the Exwick Sports Hub. The 3G pitch is used by Exeter City women’s side, also known as The Grecians, to play their home fixtures. The seating has provided fans with some much-needed shelter through the winter season and meant aspiring young players can come and support their team.

A group of female and male football players sit on some pitch side seating. — The new supporter seating at Exwick Sports Hub.

A new minibus for academy players has also benefited the teams, making their journey between college, training and away games, a lot easier.

Rob Bosworth, Deputy CEO, said;

“The partnership between Exeter College and Exeter City FC stands as a beacon of opportunity, guiding young talents toward both academic excellence and sporting achievement.

“Two decades of shared ambition, endless dedication, and boundless community impact has built not just a pathway to professional football, but a gateway to brighter futures for all our young people.”

The partnership between Exeter City and Exeter College combines training and matches with academic study. As well as having a performance pathway through the club’s apprenticeship scheme, the sports academy gives aspiring footballers the opportunities to develop their talents and focus on full-time academic or vocational courses, should they not quite break through as a professional player.

For over ten years Exeter City has provided the College with a member of its coaching staff to work alongside the college’s coaches to deliver training sessions. Currently this is Aaron Wakley for the Women’s Football Academy, Alex Bressington supporting the Men’s Football Academy, both who are College alumni themselves, and Chris Mcginn coaching Futsal and CEFA. The current Academy Operations and Performance Director, Arran Pugh is also a former Exeter College student.

Exeter City Football Club players and Exeter College Sports Academy players lean on the new spectator seating at Exwick Sports Hub.

Julian Tagg, Associate Director, President and Director of External Affairs at Exeter City Football Club, said;

“The partnership between Exeter City and Exeter College has gone from strength to strength over the last twenty years and really shows off the shared ethos, values and dedication of both organisations.

“All our young academy graduates have completed their education at Exeter College. In the past players like Dean Moxey and Ollie Watkins, who have gone on to achieve incredible things in their careers, and more recently seeing the likes of Sonny Cox go on to make his mark in the first team this season is both incredible to see and inspirational.

“The same goes for the likes of Connie Pengelly and Jess Sandland who have been crucial parts of the recent success of Exeter City Women. The College and Club work together to create well rounded young players.

“The new seated facility at the Exwick Sports Hub is yet another stride forward for the Women’s game and a celebration of what a partnership like this can produce.”

An action shot Sonny Cox playing football at Exeter City Football Clun. — Sonny Cox celebrating scoring at Exeter City Football Club.

A recent success story of the partnership is Sonny Cox, Centre-Forward for Exeter City, he came up through the academy from a young age and recently scored the winning goal on Boxing Day against Wycombe Wanderers. He has just signed a new two year deal with the club. Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins is another example to come through the League Football Education (LFE) programme. In addition, there is currently an amazing 8 alumni playing for the women’s squad, who currently sit 9 points clear at the top of the table. This includes Connie Pengelly and Jess Sandland who are both currently studying on the Foundation Degree in Football Coaching and Development.

An action shot Connie Pengelly playing football at Exwick Sports Hub. — Connie Pengelly in action for The Grecians at Exwick Sports Hub.

The Foundation Degree in Football Coaching and Development is in partnership with Exeter City Community Trust and is in its tenth year and continues to support students into football coaching and teaching jobs. A recent example is Daniel Leigh, who graduated from the College last year. Daniel won the Higher Technical Learner of the Year at the recent Exeter College Awards and now works full-time at Exeter City Community Trust.

Exeter College is pivotal in making sure that players who come through the academy, but are not offered scholarships, still have a pathway to returning to professional or semi-professional football, coaching, or attaining academic opportunities that continue into a wide variety of fields, supported by the college’s extensive programmes.

If you want to be a part of the success of the Academy’s history, come and find out more at the next Exeter College Open Event. Register now.