As a TASS Dual Career Accredited institution we provide personalised advice and guidance for our student athletes in order for them to make informed decisions about the next stage on their pathway, whether it be higher education, further training, professional performance or employment.
The continuation of a dual career pathway at a TASS accredited university has been a popular choice for some of our national and international level student athletes, with volleyballers Issa Batrane and Harry Jones both attending Bournemouth University and becoming two-time British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) beach volleyball champions whilst also studying for degrees in Computing and Television Production respectively. https://www.tass.gov.uk/issa-batrane-harry-jones/
Other student athletes who have studied the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) here at LeAF Studio in conjunction with Loughborough College have gone on to study degrees at TASS accredited universities including UEL, Northumbria, Newcastle, Exeter and Birmingham, allowing them access to specialist support services for their training and competition as well as degree courses including Business and Sports Science.
Another AASE student, volleyballer Yasmin Kaashoek, has recently joined the Royal Air Force as part of their Officer Training Programme at RAF Cranwell College after competing for England at the Youth Commonwealth Games.
Moving further afield, a number of LeAF Studio student athletes have taken advantage of the opportunities that international university sports scholarships can bring. Golfer George Long progressed from being the first amateur to win the Dorset Open Golf Championships to taking up a scholarship at Ashford University, San Diego in 2014, after which he moved onto Mount Mercy University, Iowa http://www.mountmercymustangs.com/roster/13/5/4121.php . England International volleyballer Grace Lazard was courted by numerous US higher education institutions before accepting a “full ride” scholarship at Iowa State University in 2015 https://cyclones.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3976 . And in 2017, England Beach Football goalkeeper Erin Leonard was awarded a similar “full ride” scholarship by Western Carolina University.
Aspiring Zoologist Serena O’Connor progressed on to Southampton University after she achieved two A’s and an A* at A Level, whilst also being crowned British Elite Duathlon Champion and representing Great Britain in both the European and World Championships.
Some of our alumni have already moved onto professional sports careers, with volleyballers Andy Clayton https://elteevolley.com/player/andy-clayton/ and Nathan Fullerton https://elteevolley.com/player/nathan-fullerton/ both being awarded professional contracts in Europe.
Following a double gold medal winning performance at the 2013 Youth Olympics whilst still a student athlete at LeAF Studio, Georgia Hall has progressed on to being a member of Team Europe in the 2017 Solheim Cup, winning the 2017 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit, and in her first year on the LPGA tour she won the 2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open, becoming only the third Briton to win this tournament since it was recognised as a major and only the fifth British female to ever win a major. http://www.lpga.com/players/georgia-hall/98334/bio
