Salthill sign to scholarship programme with NUI Galway

Salthill Devon FC, in association with FCS Global and NUI Galway have announced details of a new scholarship programme which will give access to players of all ages at the Galway club to full time third level education.

The Scholarship Programme targets Access Students who can be both school leavers or mature students, over the age of 22 who do not have access to third level education due to socio-economic reasons.

Under the agreement, four player scholarships and another coach scholarship will be co-funded annually by Salthill Devon, FCS Global and the Galway University Foundation, initially until 2015. The scholarships will be available for male and female players at Salthill Devon FC and participants will study at NUI Galway.

The programme is designed to provide support to the students in a number of ways including assistance with planning and managing studies through the partnership with FCS Global and NUI Galway Access Programme.

In a new sponsorship agreement which will see FCS Global become the official Education Partner to Salthill Devon FC, FCS Global will also become the official sponsor for the Salthill Devon FC U19 National League team and the Nippers Academy section which incorporates young players from the ages of 5-9.

The Scholarship Programme was officially launched at NUIG, on Tuesday last by the University President, Dr Jimmy Browne. Dr Browne stressed just how important the Access route was for students to enter third level education and he also acknowledged the important part that sport can play as a vehicle to enable access to further education. He pointed to the continued commitment of NUIG to the Access programme and was delighted to welcome the involvement of two prestigious organisations in Salthill Devon and FCS Global.

Salthill Devon Chairman, Ollie Daniels responding to Dr Browne’s comments, said; “It is a real pleasure to stand here today at the launch of a very important programme indeed. The collaboration entered into today between NUIG, Salthill Devon and FCS is convergence of the worlds of education, business and sport. This partnership proves that a number of institutions can co- operate effectively and in this instance we are combining the strengths and aspirations of three organisations that are passionate and committed to what they do.”

At Salthill Devon it has always been our mantra to ‘develop the players to be the best they can be’; we take that to mean both on and off the pitch. The Access Scholarships will open another avenue into education for young people who would also like to indulge their passion for soccer at the same time”, added Daniels.

He went on to say; “Collaboration is the way forward in these challenging times, we at Salthill Devon are looking forward enthusiastically to the commencement of the scholarship programme and its development in future years”

Daniels introduced FCS Global, Chief Executive Officer, Brian Hagan who reiterated his company’s commitment to the programme "We are delighted to formally launch this partnership with Salthill Devon FC. As a proud sponsor of the club since 2007, this new initiative combines the sporting goals of the club and its members with an invaluable education programme that will greatly benefit everyone concerned for many years to come. The overall aim of this support programme is to help create an environment in which elite players can access support to help them combine their sporting career with their education in a way that allows them to achieve their potential in both fields. Because of this support, our partnership with Salthill Devon FC and NUI Galway is invaluable to our scholarship recipients,' he said.