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Grassroots football clubs across Merseyside and the UK are increasingly relying on university students to support media, marketing and matchday operations. Local clubs such as Avro FC in Manchester and Liverpool FEDS are community-driven organisations that depend heavily on volunteers for matchdays to function, from pitch operators and fan directors to club staff and media teams. Many clubs are becoming more reliant on younger students to help modernise social media and digital content strategies both on and off the pitch. Building pathways into football The BUCS Emerging Club Leaders (ECL) programme was created to give university students hands-on experience within grassroots football clubs and provide practical pathways into sport and media careers. The initiative, run by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), launched during the 2024/25 season with 31 students involved across clubs nationwide. The pilot programme generated more than 1,250 volunteering hours across grassroots football clubs. This season, 55 students participated across more than 20 clubs nationwide, with over 3,000 volunteering hours recorded. The programme continues to expand rapidly, with more than 100 students expected to take part next season. Graphic showing amount of hours contributed in both years of the BUCS Programme. Graphic showing increase in students year on year for the BUCS Programme. Sean Lofting (right) presenting the BUCS Graduation 2026. Picture by James Costello. Sean Lofting, National Football Development Manager at BUCS, praised the opportunities available for the “next generation” of sports media professionals. He said the initiative was designed to “make volunteering in football a viable pathway for development” for young people. “We know the importance of students getting hands-on experience whilst at university,” he said. “The BUCS ECL programme has massively helped students get real-world experience that is hard to come by these days.” Lofting added that the programme acts as a “stepping stone into the world of working in football”, helping students experience club operations both on and off the pitch before, during and after matchdays. Universities such as Liverpool John Moores University have been among those involved in the programme, helping students gain practical experience within football and sports media environments. https://www.tiktok.com/@jcozziesport/photo/7641849314045644054 Inside an Avro FC matchday Avro FC was one of the clubs involved in the programme, offering students practical experience within a non-league football environment. Students were placed into roles across media, marketing and matchday operations, helping clubs improve both their online presence and day-to-day organisation. At Avro, responsibilities ranged from filming matchday content and managing social media output to capturing the atmosphere around the club on matchdays. From filming warm-ups pitchside to capturing fan reactions after goals, the placement provided a first-hand insight into how much work takes place behind the scenes at non-league football clubs. Much of the work also took place away from the pitch, with content planning, editing and social media preparation often completed before and after matchdays. Inside an Avro FC matchday. Photo by James Costello Live updates, post-match content and short-form video clips have become increasingly important for non-league clubs looking to improve audience engagement and attract younger supporters online. Avro FC media officer Liam Bambridge previously said the experience of working in non-league football mirrors the professional game, particularly within media and communications roles. "What makes us stand apart at Avro was the community, locals that turn up at 3pm each Saturday are the ones that help us survive. "Running a non-league club so close to professional ones (Oldham, Manchester United/City), means that those who want to be there and help really want the club to succeed." The close relationship between supporters, volunteers and club staff creates a different atmosphere to the professional game, with many volunteers contributing alongside full-time work or education. Social media has also become increasingly important for grassroots football clubs looking to grow audiences and improve engagement within local communities. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and X allow clubs to reach younger supporters through behind-the-scenes content, matchday footage and short-form video clips. For many non-league clubs operating with limited budgets, student volunteers are helping modernise online content and strengthen digital engagement. Richard Neal from The Football Association also highlighted the importance of younger volunteers within grassroots football, particularly within media and communications roles. He praised the desire students have to make an impact within clubs, adding that younger volunteers bring fresh ideas and modern media knowledge into football environments. “Young people bring fresh ideas and energy into football clubs, especially within media and communications roles." Neal also stressed the importance of younger volunteers within football clubs from an FA perspective, particularly as clubs continue adapting to changing media landscapes and audience habits. Richard Neal at Wembley. Photo by James Costello. From grassroots football to Wembley The programme concluded with an event at Wembley Stadium involving students and clubs from across the country. The Wembley event also gave students opportunities to network with clubs, programme organisers and football industry representatives from across the country. For many involved, the experience reinforced how volunteering opportunities within grassroots football can lead to wider pathways within sport and media careers. Sport England estimates that 10.5 million adults volunteered in sport and physical activity across England last year, although volunteering levels remain below pre-pandemic figures. Sport England research has also estimated volunteering within sport contributes billions of pounds in social value across England. While Wembley represented the conclusion of the programme, placements at clubs such as Avro FC reinforced the continuing importance of volunteers within grassroots football. As the programme continues to expand, grassroots football clubs are increasingly turning to students not only to support matchdays, but to help shape the future of football media. FA Trophy Final, 18th May 2026. Photo by James Costello.

I like the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Ok, ok, before everyone comes at me with their pitchforks, let me explain myself. No, I don't think it is a perfect adaptation of my favourite video game of all time. I understand most of the criticism surrounding the film, and I honestly agree with most of what has been said. The pacing is relentless, the emotional moments barely have time to land, and much of the quiet melancholy that made the original so special and beloved feels completely absent. Despite all of that, there was still something magical about seeing this world brought to life on the big screen. Hearing themes I have spent nearly 20 years listening to, seeing Rosalina and the Comet Observatory in full cinematic detail, the Lumas making their trademark sound effects, and one swearing and all, awakened something in me that immediately took me back to the feelings I got playing this game for the first time at 5 years old. What surprises me, however, is that there is one aspect of the film I rarely see discussed properly, despite it being one of the most important parts of both the game and the movie, even if they look completely different. Gateway Galaxy. The Movie's Gateway Galaxy is an Airport in Space Ironically, the movie doesn't ignore the Gateway Galaxy at all, unlike other galaxies that got snubbed. In fact, it practically revolves around it. It's the place where we see Fox McCloud for the first time, R.O.B, Mario fumbling Peach, and it's where Daisy appears in the post-credits. The galaxy serves as the central hub for characters travelling the 'Galaxies', feeling like an airport in space, with multiple spaceships at the Flight Deck, including Samus' Gunship and the Arwing. There’s a whole sewage system that somehow takes you to a Super Mario Bros 2. Themed casino with Odyssey’s Jump Up Superstar playing. There is a lot going on in the movie’s version of Gateway Galaxy, and this is all in the main area of the Galaxy. We don’t even explore the other 90% that the Galaxy has to offer. We see on the main promotional material that it could be a place of residence for some people, or maybe a playground. For what it is, it’s a terminal at an airport. I’m just surprised there was no overpriced JD Sports or a Conkdor holding a Starbucks, or a Pianta having an airport pint. I wonder what pint they would choose, I mean, from Isle Delfino, you would think a fruity cocktail, but who has an airport fruity cocktail? Anyway, that’s besides the point. I Hate the Movie's Version of Gateway Galaxy And to understand why, we have to compare it to the original and why I love that so much. Super Mario Galaxy's Opening Still Feels Unmatched The opening to Super Mario Galaxy is something previously never seen in a Mario game before at that time, cutscenes one after the other showcasing the bombastic-ness of the star festival, quickly turning into a hijack from Bowser and his airships, having a UFO help take the castle and raise the whole thing out into space. Mario clings on for dear life before Kamek and his PlayStation buttons destroy the half-detached land he’s on and flings him into the depths of space. It’s the most ambitious and alive opening I’ve ever experienced in a Mario game. It sets the intentions off straight away about the scale and scope, with the music in full force, some we hear in the movie too, it tells you this ain’t your ordinary Princess rescuing. We’re in space now. And then…the game just…stops. The Quiet Sadness of Gateway Galaxy People go on and on about the quiet sadness of Mario Galaxy, and no place does it better than the Gateway Galaxy. A small planetoid with merely much to do apart from a few meteors, a warp pipe and small patches of grass. The sense of thrill, excitement, adrenaline from the opening goes away in an instant, and you are left feeling feelings of quietness, loneliness, like you’re not meant to be here. It’s empty, not eerily, it's comforting though. You have these three bunnies keeping you company. Mario doesn’t know where he is or what these bunnies are, but they offer comfort after he’s been nearly killed trying to save Peach. The one word I use to describe Gateway Galaxy is safe. No enemies, no sound effects, no sense of urgency, no nothing. You can chill there and play hide-and-seek for as long as you like. There is something so soothing about experiencing the spectacle of the opening for it to come crashing down to an emotional standpoint. There’s a feeling of loss, but discovery. Calmness, but Peach has been kidnapped, you’ve got to get moving. The music tells you, no, you don’t have to right away. It’s like recovering after having an accident or an illness. Recovery starts slow, you can’t jump back into action right away, you’ve got to let that breath and settle. And that’s what the game does so well. You’re in space as Super Mario for crying out loud, it’s meant to take you by surprise. It eases you into the space gimmick so well, a playground as such for the gravity mechanics, running around the small planetoid, doing nothing but chase around the lumas as bunnies. The Movie Loses the Wonder of Space And that’s where the movie goes wrong. It loses that appeal of wonder, quietness, and mystery. Sure, I enjoyed the vibe of it, and FOX MCLOUD, but I would have rather they turned Sunshine Airport into a Galaxy, as opposed to stripping Gateway from its core identity. Going from one of the most quaint, peaceful, serene locations in the entire Mario franchise to the hustle and bustle of references overload was a slap in the face to me. It’s not just that, the movie also loses the appeal of space as a large vacuum of nothingness. No quiet reflections, apart from maybe Mario and Luigi talking on the Mandibug, it lost that sense of quietness, loneliness and emptiness that made the original game and Gateway Galaxy so special to me. The movie doesn’t slow down, when the game it’s based on does it within the first 5 minutes. I would have loved it if Mario and Luigi had a one-on-one moment, maybe later in the movie, on a galaxy akin to Gateway, with this music playing. Maybe similar to Sonic and Shadow on the moon in Sonic 3. It doesn’t have to be much, just a reflection to show these characters are real. That they doubt themselves, maybe have Peach have this when she’s realising how hard it is to find Rosalina. GIVE THEM EMOTIONAL PAYOFFS. We don’t see that in the film at all, not for Peach, or for Mario, or for Bowser or for anyone. The movie doesn’t slow down enough for any emotion to land. I didn’t mind this in the first movie, but you cannot have the same approach for the SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE. You know, the one that’s core theme is about creating emotion through space, through its music, through the storybook. Stillness Creates Attachment The only emotions I got from watching Mario Galaxy were happiness and disappointment. Nothing else. I didn’t have the time to think of anything else, to feel anything else. Stillness creates attachment. When you spend time in a quiet space, you start projecting emotions onto it. You remember how it made you feel. I remember when I first passed my driving test and got into the car for the first time. I drove to the beach, just because I wanted to feel something. More importantly, Gateway Galaxy serves as the meeting point for Rosalina. She’s introduced in the best way possible. No big music or cutscene, just melancholic and sombre, like who she is at heart. The emptiness of the area makes Rosalina feel mysterious, but she’s not scary or intimidating. She’s a comforting figure, someone you need in a time of mystery. The emotional connection you form with her from the off sticks with you and matters so much later when the game starts revealing more about her through the storybook. There is nothing I feel about the character of Rosalina in the film. She’s a plot device who is kidnapped solely because one of her Lumas snuck out of the library. There is nothing about her character that evokes the same feelings we had in the game, which is such a shame for a talent and fan of Brie Larson to feel like she didn’t contribute anything meaningful to the plot. Why Gateway Galaxy Matters The movie’s modernised Gateway Galaxy will be remembered for its references, for its lively nature, and for being the temporary residence of Fox McCloud, which still feels surreal saying that as a Star Fox junkie. But emotionally, it’s empty. The original Gateway is memorable FOR how empty it is. The identity of the original has been totally lost in the new updated version, and for what its worth, I like the scenes it’s there. It just shouldn’t have been adapted this way, left for some other place else. It no longer understands what made the original so cherished and beloved in the first place. It’s the smallest Galaxy in both games, but it has such a strong impact on me that it remains one of my favourites. The new one isn’t the Gateway Galaxy I remember, but that’s ok, because I don’t think it was meant to be. This place means something to me and so many others emotionally, and so what if the adaptation doesn’t understand why? Because I know I can always come back to the place whenever I want.

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u18s-vs-curzon-ashton-u18s-match-gallery-15th-march/ Photos by: Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u18s-vs-bury-fa-boys-youth-cup-under-18-match-gallery/ Photos by: Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u21s-vs-uda-soccer-cestrians-match-gallery/ Photos by Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u18s-vs-curzon-ashton-u18s-match-gallery/ Photos by Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u18s-vs-trafford-u18s-match-gallery/ Images provided by: Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/mike-whitehead-achieves-uefa-b-coaching-qualification/ Avro FC is delighted to announce that Mike Whitehead, our U18’s Manager, has successfully completed his UEFA B coaching qualification. The UEFA B Licence is a significant milestone in any coach’s development, providing advanced tactical knowledge, session planning expertise, and enhanced coaching methodologies that will directly benefit our young players at Avro FC. Mike has been an integral part of our junior football setup, and this achievement reflects his commitment to continuous professional development and his dedication to providing the highest standard of coaching for our U18’s squad. Speaking on his achievement, Mike said: “Completing my UEFA B License means a lot to me. It’s helped me grow as a coach and given me more knowledge in how I work with players tactically”. “I want to thank Avro FC, the Under-17s and Under-18s, all the coaching staff for their support throughout the process. This qualification is an important step for me to progress in my football career”. Dean Braithwaite, Head of Junior Football, added: “It’s great for the club to have coaches qualified with a UEFA B license and it’s a fantastic achievement for Mike as well”. The UEFA B qualification will enable Mike to further support and mentor our younger coaches at Avro FC, sharing his enhanced knowledge and experience across our junior football programme. This investment in coaching development ensures that all our young players benefit from qualified, passionate coaches who are committed to their footballing education. Join Our Coaching Team Are you interested in getting into coaching or want to explore coaching opportunities at Avro FC? We’re always looking for dedicated individuals who share our passion for developing young footballers. For more information about coaching opportunities at Avro FC, please contact Dean Braithwaite at Dean.Brathwaite@avrofc.co.uk Congratulations to Mike on this fantastic achievement! Written by James Costello

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-fc-match-weekend-report-2/ It was a strong weekend for our Avro youth sides, highlighted by two impressive victories. An emphatic 6-1 win for our Under 18s as they beat the Droylsden Youth Centre U17 Panthers away from home to get back to winning ways. Our Under 21s came from behind to beat Bury U21s 3-1 at Gigg Lane, capped off with a wondergoal from Lewis McGill. While our Women’s and Reserves teams were unable to claim points this weekend, the focus now shifts to the week ahead and the opportunities it brings. A big well done to all our teams – onwards and upwards for Avro! Written by James Costello

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-fc-teams-weekend-match-preview-2/ A packed month of December kicks off with all five Avro FC teams in action this weekend, promising an exciting few days of football across the club. The Avro FC First Team travel to Newcastle Town on Saturday, looking to build on an impressive run of five wins from six in November. Three points on the road could see Avro climb to the top of the league. The Avro Reserves get things underway at 2:00pm on Saturday, travelling to face North Walkden in league competition. At home, the Avro Women host AFC Oldham Women in a league clash. Fresh off a 2–0 victory over Salford, they’ll be eager to continue their momentum and secure another win. On Sunday morning, the Avro U18s head to Droylsden for their Manchester FA Boys Youth Cup tie, kicking off at 10:30am. To round off the action, the Avro U21s take on Bury U21s in the NWU21 League Cup, closing an action-packed weekend for the club’s youth pathway. Written by James Costello

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-u21s-vs-fc-united-u21s-match-gallery/ Photos by Gordon Marino

Available at: https://www.avrofc.co.uk/avro-fc-teams-weekend-match-preview/ Our Avro FC teams face a packed weekend of football at the Vestacare Stadium. Whilst the first team travel down down to Darlaston, our Reserves, Under-18s, and Under-21s all take to the pitch in important home fixtures. Our Avro Reserves kick off the weekend’s action as they host Moston Brook at 1:15 PM on Saturday November 29th. The sides drew 2-2 when they met in the reverse fixture last month, as the reserves look to go one better this time against the locals. Avro Under 18s welcome Wythenshawe at 1:45 PM on Sunday November 30th. Wythenshawe are without a win and lay bottom of the North West Youth Alliance Premier Division, meanwhile our Under-18s will be looking to make it two league wins on the bounce. Rounding off the weekend, our 5th place Avro Under 21s host 6th FC United at 4 PM on Sunday in the North West Under 21 Development League Premier Division. Both sides got promoted last season and have made good starts to their league campaign. Our 21s were beaten 3-0 at home last time at in the County Cup but have won their last 4 league games on the bounce. Written by James Costello