Football School in Halifax aiming to get Calderdale kicking

The Mark Duffy Football School, situated on Stainland Road, West Vale, have gone from strength to strength since the country opened up its doors to the outdoor world again.

Young footballers are flocking to numerous football related activities delivered by Mark and the team, with huge success since April.

“We are delighted with the response from our customers, new and old.” remarked Mark, business owner and founder of the school, who lives in Rishworth. “From April this year, it has been full on offering opportunities for young footballers to get back outdoors, kicking a ball again.”

“We run weekend football group sessions, Saturday and Sunday mornings, with over 100 kids coming along to develop their skills in a friendly and welcoming environment.

“Our customers range from pre-school to Year 4 and we design and deliver coaching sessions for every ability. These group sessions have been incredibly popular, as has our one-to-one private tuition, as young footballers aim to make up for lost time.

“In addition, our school holiday football camps have sold out every time over the past six months and the birthday party bookings have gone through the roof. Again, all of our services are outdoors and this is something the kids have missed out on over the past 18 months.”

But it is not just the youngsters who have benefitted from the Football School. Gareth Ewing, who lives in Greetland, joined the team in April.

“I was brought into the school to support with activities on and off the pitch,” he said.

“I was keen to expand our customer age groups and support mature adults to get back into group sports. Long story short, we introduced walking football sessions on a Monday morning for the over 50s.

“It has been a huge success. We regularly have circa 30 footballers, ranging from 50 to 87, join us for fun and football. For many, this has been a huge win. Getting out of the house, meeting new friends, getting active again. And to hear some of our 70 plus players have been out buying football boots for the first time in 40 years is just fantastic.”

In addition to the above, the school have introduced coaching sessions specifically for ladies and girls, delivering a coaching programme for Crossleys Girls Under 15’s and also outdoor ‘come and play’ sessions for pre-school toddlers, which again has been a great success.

And what next for the Football School?

Mark said: “We are already in full planning mode for 2022. We want to increase our coverage of ladies and girls coaching, introduce additional Walking Football sessions and forge strong relationships with local schools and junior football clubs. We believe we can help get Calderdale kicking again.”