England and Man City star Jill Scott MBE teams up with Worksop College to create new opportunities for female footballers

The team behind The Academy - Ian Parkin, Dr John Price, Jill Scott MBE and Paul Wilkinson.

The Academy will launch in September 2022 and will be headed up on a day-to-day basis by former Premier League footballer Paul Wilkinson.

It will see the team at Worksop College, alongside Scott and the JS8 Academy, look to build on existing infrastructure to deliver top quality coaching.

Jill Scott said: "As a girl growing up in a football-mad city (Sunderland), all I ever wanted was to have the same chance to take part and excel as the boys.

“I needed something just like this at 15/16 years old to take me to the next level, and it simply was not available.

“Worksop College has a history of producing professional sportspeople, so I'm confident they know what they're doing. As I reach the twilight of my career, I want to give back to the game that has given me so much.”

Head of Sports Performance Ian Parkin said the Academy would help get the very best out of the ever-growing pool of talent.

"The number of women and girls playing football in England has reached huge numbers," he said. “The game is growing almost faster than the infrastructure can keep pace. This is great news and shows appetite, but for years the focus has been heavily weighted towards the men's game in terms of media coverage, coaching and finance.

"We are so incredibly grateful that Jill has chosen to partner with us – in terms of female football, Jill is royalty and has huge integrity.

“She has done everything there is to do in the women's game, and her vision of a legacy educational football and academic product fits hand in hand with ours.

“We both know that we can make a massive difference to female players who want and need football every day, alongside an educational environment of real quality.

“To have her in a hands-on role assisting Paul Wilkinson (our Academy Director) will be a huge inspiration – offering our girls the best possible chances of success. If you can see it, you can be it.”

The Academy will be open to just 15 players at launch - offering highly focused training and educational opportunities.”