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Pupils score in a football and business

22 May 2009

 

Former England football striker Tony Woodcock has visited the University, to encourage and inspire young entrepreneurs of the future.

Tony and his partner Susan Kaye have established their own business, Tsu Chu Biz, which delivers short business training.

The tailored training includes the use of football techniques to explore aspects of business, such as initiative and leadership and management.

Tsu Chu is the title of the original game of football from China. Their business has been running for nearly three years and offers courses across the UK and internationally, having recently delivered training in Abu Dubai.

Our four-day course was delivered to 25 year 10 (aged 14 to 15) pupils from Laurence Jackson Secondary School in Guisborough, as part of a joint initiative between our Business School and the School of Social Sciences & Law.

Tony Woodcock said: 'It’s been a pleasure to deliver this training as part of our on-going relationship with Teesside University. We’ve given the teenagers the first rung on the business ladder, getting them to work in teams, creating their own businesses and coming up with business plans. It’s business life crammed into four days and they’ve learned a range of skills, such as business finance, team leadership and how to give a presentation.

Football as a metaphor for business 'We used football as a metaphor for business, for example we had a penalty taking session between two teams to learn about stress management. There was a fun element as well, with prize-giving for the best business at the end of training.'

The expert panel who selected the best business included Jean Lordon, Chief Executive of Tees Valley Sport, Richard Poundford, Head of Economic Regeneration for Stockton Council and Gursharan Singh, a senior local accountant.

The pupils were awarded the following prizes to start their own businesses: 1st, £125, 2nd, £75.00 3rd, £50.00. A best all rounder prize was also awarded, of two tickets and a pitch side presentation at the Riverside Stadium before a Middlesbrough FC game.

Upon completion of the course, each pupil also received a University certificate worth ten academic credits which can be used towards a future course at Teesside.

Bill Suthers, Senior Lecturer in Economics in the Business School, added: 'The pupils now have an idea of how they can transfer football skills into running a business. And they’ve also started to build up requirements for University entry.'

Tony Woodcock Tony Woodcock was a twice European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest in 1979/80, and spent three years with a German team before returning to England after the 1982 World Cup and signed for Arsenal.

Tony was the Club's top scorer for the next four seasons. He won a total of 42 caps for England (16 goals) and netted 21 goals for Arsenal in the 1983/84 campaign. In October 1983, Woodcock netted five times as Arsenal romped to a 6-2 win.

Woodcock's feat set a new post-war record for Arsenal and he left the club with a total of 68 goals in 169 appearances. Tony returned to 1 FC Cologne where he finished his career.


 
 
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