Foundation of Light welcomed Sunderland AFC Women player and England youth international, Emily Cassap, for the first instalment of the ‘Changing Room Chat’ series.
Emily, who progressed through the Foundation’s player development pathway, was joined by the Foundation’s football scholars for a discussion on football development, life as a pro athlete, and combining sports with studies.
Foundation of Light Education Officer, Catherine Watson, quizzed Emily before inviting scholarship players and coaches to ask their own questions.
The 18-year-old now has a professional contract with Sunderland AFC Women and has made a handful of senior appearance making her insight invaluable for the young players in attendance.
“I had to balance football and education, but the way the college works, it gives you that opportunity to be able to balance them,” Emily said on balancing her football development with her studies.
“They allow you to put your sport first when you need to while also doing the education, so sometimes I’d maybe miss a class or leave early but I’d always catch up with my teachers.”
Providing an insight into a typical week as a professional footballer, Emily explained: “We have a Monday off, so that’s a rest day. Tuesday we have a lighter session, go in at 9:45am and finish at about 4pm.
“We’ll have a session, have a few meetings, gym, lunch, all of that. Wednesday and Thursday are similar to that and Friday we’ll have off.
“Then Saturday, it will be an earlier start, a light session because we have a game on Sunday. Meetings, lunch, then Sunday is gameday.”
Over 20 teams from across the North East, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire competed in the mixed and girls’ tournaments at Downhill, including two host squads from the Foundation of Light.
Foundation of Light are excited to introduce a new partnership with Northern Premier League club Consett AFC, creating a clear pathway for male football scholarship players.
The pioneering academy, based at the football club’s Belle View Stadium, aims to remove long-standing barriers to education and high-performance coaching.