Presentation Secondary School, Wexford and Wexford FC are delighted to launch a first of its kind collaboration on a Transition Year (TY) Programme for girls, with the support of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and Wexford County Council.
Commencing in August 2024, the TY Football Programme will offer a balance between player development, academic attainment and a holistic school based experience, in line with the recently announced FAI Football Pathways Plan. The club will also deliver a TY course for boys, based at Ferrycarrig Park, with the support of a number of boys’ schools across the region.
Speaking of its launch, Billy Ryan, Principal of Presentation Wexford, outlined how the balance between sport and academia was what attracted him and his school to this course.
“We are delighted to be working with Wexford FC and the FAI as a partner school with the introduction of this Transition Year programme.
We have a long tradition of sporting excellence and a wide range of extracurricular activities, provided by a very dedicated team. As Principal I welcome the very strong teaching & learning element in this new programme, we look forward to working with the students during this course. I have no doubt that this programme will grow from strength to strength.”
Scott Gaynor, Deputy Principal and course link at Presentation Wexford added his thoughts on the initiative.
“We’re thrilled to announce our collaboration with Wexford FC & the FAI to introduce a Transition Year Football programme. This initiative embodies our school’s holistic commitment to nurturing academic excellence, participation in sport and well-being. As part of the new FAI Pathways Plan, we’re excited to provide our students with a balanced opportunity to thrive both on the field and in the classroom, fostering a culture of growth, resilience, and teamwork. It’s an exciting time to be involved in girl’s and women’s football in this country. As the first home of education in Wexford Town, we’re proud to be the home of this first of its kind collaboration.”
Wexford FC CEO Tony Doyle has outlined his excitement at the potential of this course, with a number of collaborating partners involved.
“As CEO of Wexford FC, I’m proud to partner with Presentation Secondary School, Wexford and the FAI to launch the Transition Year Football programme for girls in the region, as well as announcing our privately run boys course. This collaboration symbolises our dedication to community engagement and youth development. By integrating academia with football, we aim to empower students with valuable skills both on and off the pitch. I’d like to thank the FAI, Wexford County Council and the other supporting bodies for their work in getting to this point. Together, we can shape a brighter future for our students and our community.”
League of Ireland Academy Director Will Clarke echoed Doyle’s sentiments in relation to this development.
“On behalf of the League of Ireland, we are delighted to see this partnership between Wexford FC and Presentation Secondary School, Wexford come to life. This Transition Year Programme will help further the development of girls football in the South East of the country. The combination of football and education is a key component of our FAI Football Pathways Plan and will play a pivotal role in the future success of Irish football.
“There has been fantastic work done by Wexford FC at all levels of the League of Ireland in recent years – on both the men’s and women’s side – and this programme aims to provide a holistic approach to player development. We hope that this can inspire more League of Ireland clubs to explore similar partnerships in their local areas.”
[Scott Gaynor (Presentation Wexford Deputy Principal), Will Doyle (FAI HPC South East), Alan Browne (Wexford FC Women’s Chairman), Jamie Stafford Doyle (Wexford FC), Freya de Mange (Wexford FC Women), Mark Ross (Wexford FC FSR), Carolyne Godkin (Wexford County Council Director of Services), Oisin McDonagh (Wexford FC), Ethan Boyle (Wexford FC), Cllr Aidan Browne, Lucia Donohoe (Presentation Wexford/Wexford FC), Tony Doyle (Wexford FC CEO).
Front: Niamh White (Presentation Wexford/Wexford FC), Izzy Finney (Presentation Wexford/Wexford FC)
The course will see students engage with the Presentation’s existing TY Programme with allocated player development contact time, as well as learning and work experience in the business of football and related fields. These areas will include nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation, menstruation in sport, football finance and journalism, among others.
To register your interest in enrolling in this course for the 2024/2025 year, please complete for the following form: