Edinburgh College builds connections and partnerships through intercollege football tournament
Edinburgh College was proud to welcome four other Colleges to the World of Football near our Granton Campus for a day of sport, friendship and collaboration.
Over 90 students and staff from the construction departments at Forth Valley College, Glasgow Clyde College, Fife College and New College Lanarkshire, as well as Edinburgh, took part in the tournament.
The event was inspired by previous editions of Edinburgh College’s “Festivals of Football”, which were part of the College’s groundbreaking Fit for Work programme, Fit for Work in Construction, designed to give students who might struggle in traditional classroom environments other ways to express themselves.
The day gave students a chance to celebrate all their hard work, and also represented an opportunity for the College to share our approach with other institutions that don’t currently operate their own Fit for Work programmes, and offer support in getting them off the ground.
The games were competitive, but all conducted in good sporting fashion, with high spirits all around. Ultimately, Glasgow Clyde College came out on top, with our students finishing a very respectable joint second, alongside New College Lanarkshire, while the Best Player of the Tournament Award went to Edinburgh College’s Daniel Pullar.
Garry Maxwell, Edinburgh College’s Head of Department for Net Zero and Sustainable Construction, says it was great to see so much cross-sector participation:
“We’re building relationships, and I think we’ve now developed partnerships where everyone is really engaged with it. We’ve had offers from the construction departments of other Colleges to come out there and have some dialogue, and take part in their own tournaments.
“More importantly, it’ll help provide opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, hard-to-reach kids, who maybe the traditional college experience wasn’t for. This shows them we can diversify the way we teach them, and give them opportunities to learn in a completely different environment.”
And Lynne Davidson, Construction lecturer who’s played a vital role in the Fit for Work programme alongside Active Campus Coordinator Xsara Murray, agrees it was another successful event:
“This started as a pilot two years ago just for a term, and we never expected it would grow to the point where we could invite other colleges along to see what we do. It was a great turn out, and while things were very competitive it was amazing to see our students representing us so well and coming together with their peers.
“It was fantastic chatting with the other colleges, sharing how we’ve incorporated sport into our timetable and explaining the many benefits. It gives students, especially ones who sometimes struggle in the classroom, a chance to shine on the pitch and make them feel valued and included. I have no doubt the other institutions will have left feeling inspired, and wanting to do more of this for both staff and students.”