Darwen academy for young golfers set to tee off (From Blackburn Citizen)

Darwen academy for young golfers set to tee off

1:00pm Monday 18th March 2013 in News By Dan Clough, Reporter

A SCHOOL will launch an innovative link-up with Darwen Golf Club, as it opens a new sports academy this year.

Darwen Aldridge Com--munity Academy (DACA) will offer young golfers a chance to hone their skills while studying for academic qualifications.

It comes as the school also announced the lau-nch of a girls’ football academy to add to the existing football, cricket and netball academies.

The school has already forged links with Chorley Football Club, Manch-ester Thunder Netball Club and Darwen Cricket Club.

And chiefs at Darwen Golf Club hailed the new partnership as ‘exciting’.

The golf academy, for boys and girls aged 16 to 19, will benefit from expert coaching from Darwen club professional Dominic Fitzgerald.

It will have close links to the Golf Foundation and members will play regular fixtures against other college-based golf academies in the British Schools and Colleges Competition and the Int-ercollegiate Tour.

Students will combine their golf training at Dud-don Avenue with A-levels or Level Three extended learning courses at the Sudell Road school.

Honorary secretary of Darwen Golf Club Jeff Howarth said: “We are very excited with this partnership.

“The golf academy will provide talented players from across the region with a structured educ-ation and golfing deve-lopment route to hopefully progress into the professi-onal ranks and possibly become world-class play-ers.

“We are looking at golf at a whole different level.

“We also want to take golf into primary and secondary schools in Darwen and surrounding communities to get more young people involved in this great sport through grassroots initiatives.

“If some of those pupils come into the golf aca-demy in a few years’ time and make it as a professional because of what we are doing, then that shows it is all worthwhile.”

Director of sport at DACA Hilary Lunn said: “I am very excited about the partnership with Darwen Golf Club.”

Trials will be held on April 21 at Darwen Golf Club. Those aged 16 to 19 with a handicap of 12 or below can register at www.daca.uk.com