With outstanding academic results this summer for our Academy students – every single one achieving their target grades across A Levels, BTECs and the Sporting Excellence Professional (SEP) programme, congratulations lads! – and also the exciting emergence of academy talent in the first team squad, we took the opportunity to speak to Kobie Dee, Head of Education at LTFC, about an aspect of the Academy that’s largely unknown to many supporters.
Kobie, what is the education programme at the Academy all about?
We always say we want to make better people, not just players. We place equal importance on developing outstanding young people as well as talented footballers – ensuring that every student gains the qualifications, confidence and life skills to succeed, whatever path their future takes. And that’s a real challenge for the lads, as they’re combining study at the same level as students in, for instance, sixth form college with the demands of training, learning and playing. We’re immensely proud of the commitment and dedication they show, at every age group, from the Under 9’s through to the full-time scholars.
So how does the football/study balance work?
Full-time students have study sessions on Monday morning, 9-11, before they go out to train. Then they have a ‘life skills’ session at the end of the day. On Wednesdays, they’re off their feet, no training, all day education, 9-4, just like any other student. Those that are doing A levels – currently that’s 4 of the scholars – have extra hours on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon. That’s 4 more hours on top of 10 hours they all do towards BTEC. My goal is for them to have exactly the same experience and qualifications as their friends in sixth form or a local college. But all of this has to fit around their football programme of course – so we have to be flexible. The coaches all buy into that and we often ‘trade hours’, for example when there’s a midweek game.
Some of the students are aiming for university – since I joined in 2023, we’ve had 4 go on to uni in the UK, and 5 more overseas. Others are looking at vocational training. Obviously, the aim is for them all to ‘make it’ in the game, but stats show that’s 1 in 10 from full-time scholars nationally. We had four or five first team debuts from our under 18s last season, so we’re well ahead of the curve! It was fantastic seeing Benny Benagr and Harry Fox on the pitch at Chelsea, plus Joe Johnson who is an academy graduate, and Christian Chigozie on the bench.
Each of those is a great example of how committed our students are. When Benny was injured last year, he would come in early to do extra English and maths. I said to him if you get ahead of your studies while you’re out of action, when you are fit again you can focus on your football. And we’re certainly seeing the benefit of that! Harry got the highest possible distinctions in his exams and has also gained his A level in Business Studies. When Joe was a second-year student he was called up for England for the U18 World Cup in Indonesia but carried on with his A level maths studies online while away. When Christian was called out of school for a game in the Premier League season he was concerned that he would still be able to do his exams, but we worked one on one with him to make up the hours. We have links with Central Bedfordshire College and two tutors come in to assist me with BTEC and we also employ specialist private tutors. Sometimes we link up with other clubs to create online A level classrooms, too. A key aspect of my work is scheduling all this for each student and their football, as they all have different abilities – academically as well as on the pitch.
Where does all this take place?
At the Brache, we have two classrooms with interactive whiteboards, IT facilities, a mini library – and lockers, so the students feel like they’re at college. The beauty of having this at the training ground is that in breaks, or if they’re injured, the boys can come off the pitch and catch up on their studies. And the analysts and coaches can use the rooms too, using the interactive screens so they can go from classroom to pitch to work on the football side? KOBIE – is this correct? We integrate really well with them – Paul Benson and his team are very supportive. One of the U16 coaches works with us as a classroom assistant too, as he looks to go into teacher training. He’s an ex-academy lad so he knows how it all works.
What about the under 16s?
We have around 110 boys in the academy from U9s to U15s and we work with their schools to ensure they strike the right football/study balance. I liaise with their schools – there are between 80 and 90 different ones – every term to look at that: their attendance, their attitude towards learning and so on. That becomes part of the regular 12 week reviews they have with their coaches. It’s really important as the boys might be doing 3 hours training after school – and travelling too – and that has to be fitted around eating, homework and so on. It’s a lot to take on board. In the last 18 months we’ve invited teachers into the training ground and they can see the boys at work, talk to the coaches, ask questions, express any concerns and see why they may be tired at school sometimes if they’ve travelled for a game the night before. We work closely with parents too, of course. It’s all about looking after the boys in every aspect so they enjoy their football, their lives and their education. Wellbeing is a prime consideration for us, and myself, our safeguarding lead and player-care lead work together to maintain contact with players and families through calls and home visits. For players who are released from the academy, this continues for three years after as they move forward on their journeys.
You mentioned life skills before, what’s that about?
Life skills tie in very neatly with our wellbeing programmes for all ages. Every Monday afternoon our scholars have a session with guest speakers, ranging from nutrition to a talk warning about gambling – and a recent visit by our kit sponsors KDW, who did a football formation-based presentation on managing finance and their pay packet– a sort of 5-3-2: spend some, invest some and save some. It was fun and a great way to get their message across. Then there are areas like writing a CV; often players are unaware of the ‘soft skills’ they gain through football. Those are things which set them well for life. If I was an employer, I would want to take them on – because they can be depended on to be on time, they’re well-presented, they speak well as they have media training, they’re fit and healthy and they’ve got resilience, because they’ve learned how to deal with setbacks. All skills that are valued in any workplace. They know how to make the right lifestyle choices like eating healthily – and hopefully they carry those choices into their home lives. It’s the ones who embrace all this who tend to do the best.
I think that the way the scholars are – their habits, their work ethic, their humility, their politeness is something we can be particularly proud of at Luton. When the head of education from one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League visited us, she loved the way the boys were so well grounded. It’s something that makes us different – and makes a real difference too.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to Luton please Kobie
I’m Luton born and bred and was a season ticket holder throughout my youth, until I went off to Uni! I was hooked from the day of my first cup final, 1987, when we beat Arsenal. And I was a schoolboy player with the club, back in the days when we could train and play on the plastic pitch.
I had my picture taken with Mal Donaghy presenting me with a trophy when I was about 9 or 10!
So being here now with the academy is a fulfilment of my dreams then I guess. I did teacher training at Uni, worked in several schools and then someone tagged me in a post and said that the Head of Education post was coming up at Luton. I spoke to the Head of Academy Operations and then Gary Sweet and gradually moved over to the club, phasing out school for 3 then 4 days at the academy. I joined as we went into the Premier League so that was quite something!
Finally, what are your hopes for the future – and thoughts about Power Court?
I think we’re building something very special here – and expect to see more and more players coming through to the first team from the academy. And for those who don’t ‘make it’ I believe we’re giving them a fantastic grounding for their futures. We’re strengthening ties with the girls’ teams and academy too – and our community work continues to grow. One of the things I’m looking forward to with Power Court is the work experience opportunities it will bring: we’re already looking to give academy students the opportunity to work in various departments of the club, as that opens up lots of different career options. And most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing our home-grown players gracing the pitch at our fabulous new home – hopefully, in the Premier League!
