Bradley Pritchard column

By Bradley Pritchard
Tamworth midfielder

This year is the first year where I've played a season without attending any full-time education Reflecting on balancing football with education

Last weekend was definitely a very long couple of days.

I tried to compensate for my lack of a competitive fixture by watching every bit of football available.

Watching the game between Northwich and Charlton was a bitter-sweet experience, just because it reminded me of our exit in the earlier rounds.

Training was as it usually is, hard yet enjoyable. I think it's been good that training has remained consistent throughout because it has a calming effect which stops anyone from panicking.

We also had a chat from the local Tamworth police who have asked the players to take part in a community scheme.

This means we'd help them in visiting schools to talk about topics like drugs, alcohol and just general respect for other people.

I think the idea of talking in front of an assembly hall full of children was quite daunting to some, which I found a surprise, especially considering how loud they can be in the changing room.

We've split into small groups and as far as I'm aware, we'll be going into different schools now and again over a period of a few months with the police.

This week I also went to my old university (Loughborough) to meet a few of my friends who are still there.

Michael Blackwood has gone back to college and all he seems to talk about is going back to the library after every training session Bradley Pritchard

It was only when I started thinking about it did I realise that this year is the first year that I've played a season without attending any full-time education.

I've been used to spending the days trying to balance work and football commitments, and there was nothing more frustrating then having to go to the library after training or a match.

Now I just have football and it is quite a liberating feeling, apart from when I realise my financial debt. Apparently a student loan is not free money.

While I was there though, I wasn't the only student who had those commitments. Many of the guys there played in similar or higher leagues.

Obviously it meant that there were clashes between classes and training schedules, but the director of football at Loughborough, James Ellis, always tried to ease the tensions between lecturers and students.

He was actually part of the England Universities scheme which sets out to develop student footballers who still have ambitions of playing at a high level.

There have actually been quite a few players who have gone from playing football at university to earning a living in the game with the help of the England Universities set-up.

Players like Robbie Simpson (Huddersfield Town), Rob Taylor (Port Vale), Exodus Geohaghon (Kettering Town) and Andy Brown (AFC Telford), as well as myself and Rodders (Alex Rodman) have all benefitted from the scheme.

I know when I first went to university, I did so with the impression that I had to make a choice between either football or an academic lifestyle, and I think there are others out there who think the same.

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Choosing one would mean that I wouldn't be able to focus properly on the other.

Luckily the way the England Universities football scheme is set up and is continuing to improve, it means that a lot more players have an option of continuing their studies while still playing football.

There are a few of the boys who have to play that same balancing act in our team.

Blacks (Michael Blackwood) has gone back to college and all he seems to talk about is going back to the library after every training session, while Cocky (Danny Alcock) and Dommers (Dominic Langdon) are both in their second year of university.

I don't envy them because I know how stressful it is, but it does act as a good source of distraction when things aren't going well.

Fingers crossed we won't need any more distractions.