Leadership Academy
Our Leadership Academy offers you the chance to develop your leadership skills through sport with real opportunities on campus and in our local community.
Opportunities include working with local schoolchildren, coaching your fellow students and volunteering at major sporting events on campus.
You don't need any previous experience with sport or volunteering to take part in the Leadership Academy. Our team offers extensive support to help you develop your skills, including mentoring and the opportunity to gain recognised coaching and leadership qualifications.
If you're looking to develop your skills, add to your CV, build links with industry partners and / or you are considering a career in management, education or sport then the Leadership Academy could be for you!
What opportunities are available?
You can choose from a range of Leadership Academy programmes listed below and you can take part in as many as you wish, schedules permitting.
What training and support can I access?
Training
We offer a comprehensive training programme for Leadership Academy participants. We run training sessions at the beginning of each semester for all volunteers and we ask all volunteers working with young people to complete Safeguarding training ahead of starting their programmes. Students volunteering at major events may also be asked to complete additional training with the event organisers.
Volunteer recognition
We highly value the commitment of our Leadership Academy volunteers. Our volunteering portal allows you the opportunity to track your hours spent volunteering and earn rewards.
Nottingham Advantage Award
We've partnered with the University's Careers team to offer our sports volunteers the opportunity to find out more about how volunteering can boost their careers prospects as well as gaining credited recognition for their efforts. The Sports Volunteers and Career Development module is worth 10 of the 30 credits required to complete the Nottingham Advantage Award.
Qualification Fund
The Leadership Academy Qualification Fund offers financial support to complete a coaching qualification. You can gain a recognised award during your studies and grow your coaching and leadership experience by coaching your fellow students and/or the local community.
Sport Innovation Fund
Our Sport Innovation Fund offers support to get involved with sport off the pitch. You can apply for up to £500 to support a specific project linked to your personal interests or university course. Your idea should benefit one (or more) of our programmes and you'll be expected to give back a set amount of volunteering hours in return.
Your questions
Does it matter what year of study I'm in?
No, not at all. Students in any year of their studies, including final year, may join the Leadership Academy. Postgraduate students are also very welcome.
I don't have any previous experience in sports leadership, does that matter?
The Leadership Academy caters for all levels of experience and is designed to help you build your skills. It doesn't matter if you haven't led an activity or sports session before and no previous sporting experience is necessary.
How much time will I need to commit? Is the Leadership Academy flexible?
Each programme will require different levels of time commitment. While we try to fit around other commitments, there will be some specific requirements for training and delivery dates. We do advise that students will get out of the programme what they put in and we will be there throughout to support leaders.
What our participants say
It's such a powerful moment when you see a young person's eyes light up when they master something new or difficult. I gained a lot personally from volunteering but seeing the impact I made on others made it so worthwhile.
Having University of Nottingham students in our school providing high quality sessions hugely benefits our pupils. They feel really inspired and enjoy every session with the leaders.