Sport

Here at Carlisle College, we teach our students how to harness the transformative power of sport. These courses will equip you with the skills, knowledge and personal attributes required to be successful within the Sport industries.

Our Sports courses provide a combination of theoretical research and practical assessments allowing you to gain a diverse range of skills to progress to employment or further study and will allow you to develop a range of transferable skills for many sectors.

As well as classroom-based study, you will also benefit from our dedicated sports hall and facilities.

College 16 - 18

Georgia Smethurst

Sports Tutor

Alongside my role as a Sports Lecturer I continue to work within the sport industry as a UEFA C Coach Developer for the Football Association and Player Development Lead for Carlisle United CST Girls ETC. I have previously worked as an FA Coach Mentor, Advanced Coaching Centre Head Coach and a Women & Girls Development Officer. After completing a BSc in Sports Development, Coaching and Administration in 2018, I acquired my UEFA B Coaching License before completing my PGCE, and more recently, an MSc in Sports Coaching.

Graeme Thompson

Sports Tutor

Having graduated from the University of Cumbria with BA (Hons) in Physical Education in 2012, I completed a PGCE (Lifelong Learning) with the University of Central Lancashire in 2014. This was followed by a MSc in Performance Coaching through the University of Stirling, which I completed in 2022. I have over ten years of experience in different sports coaching contexts and have held positions in the Cumberland FA’s Girls’ Advanced Coaching Centre and the FA’s Coach Mentor programme. I also work as a Coach Developer on the FA’s Introduction to Coaching Football course and hope to study for a PhD in the future.

Lauren Glencross

Sports Tutor

I have always had a passion for sport and competed for Cumbria in athletics from a young age. This eventually allowed me to pursue my undergraduate degree in psychology over in South Carolina USA, on a track and field scholarship. Upon returning home, I qualified as a personal trainer and fitness instructor through Future Fit Training. After gaining experience at the Crown Gym in Wetheral, I took the leap to open my own private small group training facility, LG Well-being, in Carlisle. offering 1-1 and small group personal training, fitness classes including bootcamp and Pilates, and proudly became the city’s first official HYROX training facility in 2024.

Simon Jamieson

Sports Tutor

I have been teaching as part of the sports team at Carlisle College for 18 years. I attended the University of St. John in York and graduated in 1998 with a BA Hons in Physical Education. My previous experiences include coaching football locally at grass-roots level and working with Carlisle United’s youth football academy before starting at the College. I have gained coaching qualifications in a wide range of sports including La crosse and dodgeball and enjoy understanding the different components and skills that make up a sport. I have recently completed the L2 gym instructor’s qualification which I really enjoyed. This has allowed me to consider the use of fitness training and how it improves overall sports performance.

Georgia

In 2017, I completed a Level 3 course in Sports, at Carlisle College, which laid the foundation for my further studies at the University of South Wales. There, I pursued a degree in Football Coaching and Development in the Community, and Sports Coaching and Development in the community. During my time at university, I volunteered with Carlisle United Community Sports Trust, an experience that eventually led to a full-time position within the organisation. By 2023, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in teaching, prompting me to apply for the Carlisle Schools Direct programme, based at Trinity School. Concurrently, I took on a role at the CUFC CST Girls Emerging Talent Centre in Football, driven by my passion for working with young girls in the sport. In 2024, I successfully completed my PGCE in Teaching and began a full-time teaching position in September. I continue to work with the Girls ETC, gaining valuable experience and further qualifications in the football field.

Ross

Ross studied Level 2 in Sport and Public Services, before gaining a Merit in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sport. His favourite modules were Sports Psychology and Coaching for Performance, as both modules focused on how a support worker needs to consider working with the mindset of each individual, to support those people in overcoming their challenges. Within his time at college, Ross felt he was very well supported by his lecturers.... “Each lecturer would take the time to explain to me what I needed to focus on in my assessments, and they would even allow me to work in a quiet classroom after the majority of people had left, as they knew I could concentrate better that way.” Ross also qualified as a football referee during his time at college, which he still does to this day, supporting children in learning the rules of the game. After leaving college, Ross went on to gain a First-Class Degree in Community Football Coaching and Administration. After advice from his autism counselor, Ross started volunteering at Carlisle Youth Zone in 2022, before being offered a job there as a Youth Activity Worker in 2023. Alongside this, Ross is currently the EDI Autism Representative at Carlisle United and Carlisle Youth Zone. Ross speaks publicly about the challenges he faces with autism, allowing other individuals in his position to feel supported Ross has this advice for our current students: “When talking to your lecturers, support workers or any staff at Carlisle College, always suggest new stuff for the college, as it is an environment that is always open to change things for the better.”