Jake uses his footballing excellence to support his D of E sporting and volunteering projects

We recently shared news about Jake Percival’s progress with the skill element of his Duke of Edinburgh Award and how he is learning to become a Barista at The Station Café Bar.  Alongside this, Jake has also been busy dedicating much of his free time to the sporting and volunteering parts of the Award.  A keen sportsman, with a passion for Football, Jake is maximising his talent by playing football for Darlington FC’s Under 16 team.  He plays each Saturday in the Junior Premier League and on a Sunday in the Teesside Junior Football Alliance.  This is his second season with the team and he thoroughly enjoys it as he plays with some other students from Richmond School.

Furthering his footballing and coaching skills, Jake is volunteering with Richmond Town Football Club where he assists with their Under 9 squad at their training each Tuesday evening at Richmond School. Jake approached the coach, John Clark, himself and asked if he could complete the volunteering aspect of his Duke of Edinburgh Award by helping with this age group.  When Jake hasn’t been playing in matches himself, he has also been to watch the team play on a Sunday morning and help with pre-match warm ups.

Tony Potter, Leader of Sport, Leisure and Community, said: “Jake is putting in a tremendous amount of effort to his Duke of Edinburgh Award and it is fantastic to see him passing on his outstanding football talent and teamwork skills to the Under-9 footballers. Jake has really impressed me with his commitment to all aspects of the Award and he is a great role model to younger students who are considering taking part in future years.”

Well done to Jake for supporting and encouraging the young footballers.