The partnership between newly-promoted Gateshead Football Club and Gateshead College’s Academy for Sport will provide more opportunities for young players to make the transition from college to professional football.

Players on Gateshead College’s Football Scholarship Programme will also benefit from fitness training and development programmes developed by Gateshead Football Club and the college’s professional coaching team.

Alan Snowdon, head of sport at Gateshead College, said: “We are always exploring opportunities to create partnerships with leading sports organisations and local clubs in order to ensure we are providing the best possible opportunities for our students.

“Through this new partnership our scholarship and other Football Academy students will receive coaching and fitness development from Gateshead Football Club. The Club will work closely with our teams with the aim of developing a talented pool of young players from which it can recruit.”

The Gateshead College Football Scholarship programme was launched by Peter Beardsley and started in September at the Academy for Sport, which is at Gateshead International Stadium. It is open to 16-year-olds that have once played for a professional club and provides young talent with a second chance to develop their game through professional coaching and pursue a career in football.

Gateshead Football Club, now just one promotion away from a return to Football League, will go fully professional in the 2010/11 season.

Two former Gateshead College players have already been signed by the team. Alex Francis, 19, joined the Club earlier this year following a successful run for the college which saw him score the winning goal to net the national college cup final. Steven Richardson, 23, signed over the summer from UniBond outfit Durham City where he was top goal scorer for the past three seasons, scoring exactly 100 goals.

Brian Waites, vice chairman at Gateshead Football Club, said: “Gateshead Football Club is going through some exciting changes and this new partnership with Gateshead College represents our commitment to contributing to the development of those with the skill to become professional footballers.

“We are excited that we will be the first club to work with the talented youngsters on the Football Scholarship Programme and we are certain that we will soon have some Gateshead students on our books.

“Our players will also benefit from the fantastic fitness testing facilities available at Gateshead College.”

Players at Gateshead Football Club will be able to use the Academy for Sport’s state-of-the-art fitness testing facilities and will have access to the sports science lab. They will also be able to use some of the facilities at the college’s Baltic Campus, including a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and massage treatments.

Gateshead College’s Academy for Sport has already helped launch many students into professional football careers, including Chris Basham who has just signed a two and a half year deal with Bolton Wanderers and Kris Thackray currently at AC Ancona in Italy. Others have been picked up by English Colleges and have gone on to play in international tournaments.

Through the partnership students from across the college will have access to work experience opportunities at Gateshead Football Club.

Earlier this year Gateshead College formed a similar partnership with the Vipers ice hockey team.

For further details on Gateshead College visit www.gateshead.ac.uk.