Braintree Town’s Community Programme is continuing to grow as the Iron and their Academy take football and sporting opportunities to young people across the district.

Mark Sansom, manager of the Braintree Town Academy, said the number of ‘Community Iron’ projects is expanding rapidly with coaching sessions being run in schools and for young players at the Notley Discovery Centre.

Advanced coaching sessions are run every Thursday between 4.30pm and 6pm for seven to 11-year-olds where youngsters are coached in six-week blocks that cover a variety of football skills and techniques.

Sansom said: “We hold Soccer Camps every school holiday and anyone who attends is invited to come along and further their development. It is a skills-based thing rather than game-orientated that is open to any young players from any local teams.”

For the next age group up – 12 to 16s – Pre-Academy coaching sessions are run on Mondays.

Sansom said these older sessions are also skill and technique based and are open to anyone from a local club or school.

He added: “It is taken by the Academy head coach, Ross, and those coming learn the mindset and disciplines of the Academy so that hopefully when they get to 15, they will be ready to come to the Academy if they wish to do so.

“However, it’s not a forced gateway and you don’t have to be coming to the Academy to come.

“It’s for young people who are looking to develop as players.”

Sansom said that both coaching groups have allowed the Braintree Town Academy to forge closer links with local youth football clubs.

“We are Braintree Town Academy and we are here for every club in the town,” he said.

“We want to do our best to help the development of anyone in the district and beyond.”

That development also refers to girls, who Sansom said are welcome at both of the sessions, and the Community Iron programme has also opened up a link with Silver End Ladies FC.

Sansom is the manager of the senior ladies’ side, who have just been promoted to division one of the Eastern Region Women’s League and will be playing in the FA Women’s Cup next season.

The Community Programme is also actively promoting links with local schools around Braintree.

A new link will see Braintree Town Academy students going into Edith Borthwick School to run coaching sessions in a variety of sports and sporting activities.

It will build on the similar relationship that has been established between the Academy and John Bunyan Infant and Junior School over the last two years.

Another project for older footballers has seen Walking Football sessions started at the Notley Discovery Centre but Sansom said there are more events planned to further the links between Braintree Town and the community.

Three Soccability festivals have been held in the last year in partnership with the Essex FA, with more than 50 children with a range of disabilities attending each one and Academy staff and students supervising training and matches. More are planned over the next 12 months.

There are also important charity links that have been established, particularly with the Braintree HomeStart scheme, but also providing support for other charities such as Help for Heroes, Farleigh Hospice, Sport Relief and the Essex Air Ambulance But Sansom said there are more projects planned to further the links between Braintree Town and the community, with an exciting scheme that is starting soon to extend the reach to even more children in and around Braintree.

To find out more about any of the Community Programme events or courses email admin@braintreetownacademy.org.uk or call 01376 330976.