TALENTED footballers are to be given the chance to excel at their beloved game and gain formal qualifications.

North Oxfordshire Academy, in Drayton Road, Banbury, has launched a new course specialising in football for pupils aged 16 and over.

It will be run by former Oxford United player Rufus Brevett, who currently coaches the academy’s football teams.

But the Elite Football Academy Programme will give students a chance to take the sport to a new level. The two-year course, which starts this September, is designed to nurture sporting talent and give pupils a chance to study A-Levels, BTEC or other qualifications alongside.

Mr Brevett, who played in the Premier League with Fulham and West Ham United, said: “I am very pleased to have this opportunity to contribute to the development of talented young people.

“The academy is launching this programme because, too often, footballers leave school without a broad set of qualifications.”