It has been a tremendous summer of women and girls Flag Football – with the GB Under 17s and senior squads each claiming European crowns. Does this inspire you to progress in the sport?
Do you have what it takes to be a European Champion?
If so the BAFA Flag Football Diploma in Sporting Excellence may be the perfect springboard.
This exciting opportunity is now open to female athletes who are about to enter Year 12 in School/College in September 2023.
We are extending the deadline for your Expression of Interest until Monday 25th September 2023.
Apply here
The Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) is a formal competence-based qualification, that has UCAS points assigned to it. This means that athletes can gain credit for their knowledge, skills and behaviours as they train and compete in Flag Football over a 2 year period.
It gives athletes more opportunities to train and develop alongside BAFA Pathway coaches. Working alongside our learning provider partners, Loughborough College, athletes will be supported by sport science experts who also support the NFL Academy and Loughborough University.
BAFA has 10 spaces assigned for our initial cohort, and with some initial expressions of interest received, we are extending our deadline into September so we can maximise this opportunity for as many interested athletes. To be eligible, athletes must meet the following requirements:
- They must be female.
- They must be aged between 16 -17 years old on 1st September 2023.
- They must be in full time education (or approved part time study) at a state-funded school/college, ideally entering Year 12 in September 2023.
- Players must be prepared to sign up to a 2-year DiSE programme that will involve up to six centralised training days per year*
(* DiSE commitments will avoid A-Level exam periods) - They must be Flag Football-committed, and this does not necessarily mean they already have experience in playing the sport.
Abi, Lola and Matilda on the GB u17 European Championship winning squad
DiSE is completely complementary to an athlete’s school/college study programme, allowing athletes to study where they want, travelling to Loughborough for a series of six training days in each of the two academic years.
Check out this overview of the DiSE Programme by Jon Wyse, an Elite Sport Manager at Loughborough College – Jon also happens to be heavily involved in British American Football as a Player, Coach, and on several of our Working Committees ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWKqkILJ3Gs
Further information about DiSE is at https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/pERQW5MI3emcJ
Expression of Interest Form is at https://forms.office.com/e/TBTQb3U6D4, and the deadline for completion is Monday 25th September 2023.
An Induction Day is scheduled for Monday 9th October (to be confirmed), with the initial DiSE Training Day on Saturday 11th November 2023.
