The NFL’s flagship UK Academy is to leave London and relocate to Loughborough in a major facilities upgrade.
The NFL Academy, which was established in 2019 as the first of its kind outside North America, has so far been based at Barnet and Southgate College in north London but will move to the East Midlands ahead of the start of the new academic year in September.
The project is aimed at allowing talented student-athletes aged between 16 and 19 to gain a full-time education while receiving professional-level American football coaching and has so far seen five players earn scholarships at NCAA Division 1 colleges in the US.
Following its move north, the Academy will use the education and accommodation services at Loughborough College alongside the facilities at Loughborough University, which is renowned as the country’s leading sports university and is regularly used as a training hub by various national and professional teams, as well as Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
“Barnet and Southgate College has been an excellent partner in getting the Academy established, and we are now very excited about the opportunity to further develop both the academic and athletic offering in a move to Loughborough,” said Brett Gosper, NFL Head of Europe and UK.
“Operating at an elite athletic performance centre with a global reputation, combined with the excellent classroom offering, gives the students the greatest chance of future achievement in all fields. It will allow us to achieve our aim of creating life-changing opportunities for young people through the sport of American football.”
