Following in the footsteps of Ellery Balcombe: Ben Grummit
Aged 13, Ben Grummit joined our Football Development Centre as an aspiring goalkeeper and believes the programme helped ignite his passion for football.
Speaking about our football development sessions, he said:
“Through attending the FDC programme, I now have the confidence to do many things with my footballing ability, and I’ve been given many chances to showcase my talents in-front of many coaches and scouts.
“The continuous training and support from the coaches are perfect for a young player trying to develop their skills. The coaches have also been giving me one to one advice about how to improve any weaknesses I have.”
Our FDC programme offers talented young players the opportunity to receive elite coaching– enhancing their skills in a player-centred environment.
Ben’s talent soon caught the eye of former Brentford player, Ryan Peters, who spotted him at one of the FDC sessions. Ryan now oversees the Trust’s football education programme, which enables students to study for a BTEC Level 3 sports diploma or A-Levels while improving their football skills.
Speaking about Ben’s talent, Ryan said:
“I remember watching Ben on a Wednesday night on a few occasions as we were talent spotting; he stood out as an immense talent with a great desire to improve.”
Ben joined our football education programme in 2018 and feels the programme offers a number of benefits.
“The course gives you enough knowledge to send you onto many future paths including doing things such as sports journalism at university or sports science,” he said.
“I have expanded my knowledge in the sporting world and also had the opportunity to take part in the National Citizens Service programme, which included an intergenerational cooking project with the older people.”
Other achievements include playing in the Community Educational Football Alliance Regional Cup Final at Griffin Park and receiving a Distinction in the first year of his BTEC studies.
“Ben has also had the unique opportunity to train with Brentford FC’s B-Team at the football club’s training ground and there is no doubt there will be more to come from Ben.”
If you would like to get involved with our football programme please email us at fdc@brentfordfccst.com
For more information of our BTEC programme, please contact Ryan on rpeters@brentfordfccst.com
