A Keswick School pupil has become one of the youngest qualified FA Level One coaches - receiving his certificate on his 16th birthday.

Barry Loan was referred to Cumbria Youth Alliance in February 2016. He was given the opportunity for additional support to ensure he considered options when he takes the next steps when he finishes school.

He is passionate about football and has ambitions to become a Football Coach, so Barry joined Cumbria Youth Alliance's programme “A Sporting Chance”.

The school and the team behind A Sporting Chance felt Barry and other students would benefit from volunteering and coaching opportunities within the local sporting community.

It was hoped taking part in voluntary sports placements would raise the student’s self-esteem, boost CVs and motivate their engagement in education.

The students would also develop new skills that could be transferred to the school environment and to their long-term employability.

While expectations were good from the offset, the positive impact A Sporting Chance has had on the students has far exceeded anybody’s expectations.

Keswick School worked hard with all the students on the project but it's notable Barry has achieved the most from the scheme at present.

They offered him the opportunity to start coaching with the Year 7 class, which is where he completed his volunteer placement.

Barry said: "Volunteering was good, there is a nice atmosphere here and I met new people.

"Mr Turnbull (Barry’s placement mentor and teacher) has opened the path for me and identified talents to allow me to progress."

Following the volunteering, Cumbria Youth Alliance enrolled Barry on to the FA Level One qualification.

This took place in Penrith, meaning Barry gave up his weekends and evenings to attend the course, showing great commitment and effort, given how difficult the course can be.

The qualification is a mixture of classroom and practical training that incorporates transferable skills, which will be used in other aspects of life. Barry adapted to the course quickly and soon made friends.

He said: "The most challenging part of the course was explaining my session plan to a large group."

Barry went on to say he will be using his qualification at Keswick Football Club when he gets through his GCSEs this summer and he now has ambitions to complete go further and his FA Level Two coaching certificate.

As well as having a positive effect on the student’s themselves, the project has positively impacted the local community and has helped to improve community sports.

The school and sports clubs have benefited greatly from the time the students have volunteered so far and will hopefully continue to do so as they work towards completing their sporting qualifications.