UCFB extends partnership with English Schools’ Football Association until 2028 

UCFB is delighted to announce that we have extended our partnership alongside the English Schools’ Football Association (ESFA) until 2028. 

The ESFA have been industry partners alongside UCFB since 2018, meaning together we will have completed a full decade of providing opportunities and looking forward to the future of football at all levels, from elite to grassroots. 

As the National Governing Body for schools’ football across England, the ESFA values the importance of football in the classroom as much as on the pitch, with the Association creating plenty of opportunities to celebrate all the wide-reaching benefits of schools’ football. The ESFA provides over one million footballing opportunities for school pupils in England each year and generates footballing activity for around 700,000 children across the country each season. 

Since the partnership between UCFB and the ESFA was formed in 2018, it has provided many incredible work experience and secure employability opportunities for UCFB students at either the ESFA itself or the regional County Schools’ FAs. Recent work placement opportunities for UCFB students have included social media analysis, summer camp leadership, regional finals event support and the chance for scholarship students to be mentored by the ESFA CEO, Andrea Chilton who, in 2024 was named an honorary fellow of UCFB at our annual graduation ceremony for the fantastic work the partnership has created. As well as the growth of the ESFA under her leadership, this includes increasing the number of opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to have access to sport and physical activity. 

UCFB founder and Chair, Brendan Flood said: “We are delighted to have extended our partnership with the English Schools’ Football Association until at least 2028. This brings with it three more years of wonderful opportunities for our students to gain the skills, knowledge and experience required to forge a career in the ever-growing and demanding football industry.” 

ESFA CEO, Andrea Chilton said: “The English Schools’ FA is delighted to continue its long-standing partnership with UCFB as the Official Higher Education partner of the ESFA. Our joint mission to use football as a platform for personal development, educational attainment and career progression, is what makes this continued partnership especially exciting. We are delighted that we can continue to work together over the next three years with both organisations benefiting from each other’s expertise for the good of our players and students.” 

Find out more about UCFB’s industry partners who provide opportunities and experiences to students as they aim to kick off their career in the industry. 

You can also view a UCFB prospectus and learn more about the many industry-related degree courses on offer at UCFB.