United In The Community Coach Josh Hunt has completed a Q&A about their work:
What is your position at UITC?
My name is Josh Hunt and my position at UITC is Schools Programme Co-Ordinator. I teach at 10 Primary and Secondary schools throughout Herefordshire and Worcestershire delivering PE Lessons and After School Clubs. UITC deliver a wide range of sports including Football, Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, Rounders, Athletics etc.
What teams do you coach?
I coach the Under 12’s academy team 3 times a week including a match day on a Saturday morning.
You have two Under 18s Teams, why is that?
We have 2 Under 18 teams due to having a large amount of players on our course that we run. We have enough students to fill two teams. The performance team played in the Premier League Football League last season and Development Team played in the ECFA (English Colleges Football Association) which played their matches on a Wednesday afternoon.
What is the relationship with Hereford Football Club?
The relationship is really good. Our trustees agreed to affiliate UITC with both HUST and HFC last month. It's really important we can develop a player pathway from UITC into HFC - and that is obviously one of our key footballing priorities in the seasons ahead.
How many players do you have on your books?
We have our Football Development Centre ages from 6 to 11 years old where we have 60 children training every Monday evening and games when arranged.
Our Academy teams are aged from U12’s to U16’s where we have a total of 80 players.
Our U18’s team consists of 22 players. Overall we have a total of 162 players on our books.
Where do you get your money from?
We get our money from different programmes plus grants and fundraising. We have 5 different programmes including Schools Programme, Soccer Schools, Football & Education, Youth Academy and Development (Football Development Centre). This money is used to pay for facilities, coaches, and equipment. As we are a non-profit organisation we recycle the money back into our community activities.
I hear you also offer an education course for young people, what is that about?
We offer a Btec Extended Diploma in Sport for Students. This is a 2 year course where you become part of our Youth Team. You will take part in 3 training sessions every week and attend a game. If you have a strong interest in playing or coaching football, this course is perfect for you. This course is for students aged between 16 and 18 and if you are interested in finding out more information about the course email info@uitc.uk.com
Who are your staff and what are their experience and qualifications?
We have 2 full time staff at UITC these are -
- Steve Brotherwood - Manager - UEFA B Coaching badge & Level 1&2 Youth Module certificates.
- Myself (Josh) - Schools Programme Co-Ordinator - Level 2 Coaching badge & Level 1&2 Youth Module Certificates.
We are also supporters by a string of part time and volunteer coaches.
Where is your office?
Our office is based on Blackfriars Street at the Edgar Street stadium.
Where do you train?
We have two training Facilities, we use Victoria Park, Field Grove View, for our U18 Youth Team. We also use Belmont Abbey where we coach our academy and Football Development Centre teams and play matches from this venue.
Can anyone come to watch UITC matches?
Yes anybody can watch UITC matches, keep up-to-date with all fixtures, dates and times of the matches on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hufccommunitytrust) or Twitter page (@HUFCCommunity).
What sponsorship opportunities are there?
There are plenty of Sponsorship opportunities with UITC. We are currently looking for sponsors for our academy teams match day kit. We also have places to have advertising boards for companies at Victoria Park. For more information email mick.loader@uitc.uk.com.
What kit do the players wear?
The players have their own training kit to wear for training and we supply the match day kit. We have just released our new Macron training kit. The under 18s will be wearing the same kit as Hereford FC’s First Team but the younger age groups will have their own sponsor.