Former Bluebirds manager Darren Edmondson is hoping to attract students from the Barrow area to a new Cumbrian sporting academy he is setting up.

Edmondson is launching the Cumbria Institute of Sport at Newton Rigg near Penrith.

The initiative by the former Barrow AFC boss will offer professional coaching in a range of sports combined with education.

Starting in September, it will cater for those aged 16 to 19 and Edmondson says transport will be provided, including for those in south Cumbria who sign up.

“The uptake so far from the south of the county, in terms of interest, has been good,” Edmondson said.

“It will be a bit of travelling but we’re going to put transport on for them, and hopefully that will ease the burden of parents worrying how they’re going to get there.

“We’ve opened it to the whole of Cumbria, and it’s not just football – it includes rugby union, rugby league, cricket, netball and golf.

“If we’ve got talented sports people in Cumbria, it’s criminal they have to go out of the county to do two years of sport and education. We need to keep it in house.

The Mail: The new sporting institute will be based at Newton RiggThe new sporting institute will be based at Newton Rigg

“Barrow [AFC] are not opening their academy at the moment, and though Carlisle United’s is running, they can only take so many on each year.

“There’s a host of lads and lasses in all sports not getting the opportunity to showcase themselves, and this is what we’re aiming to provide.”

Edmondson says the Barrow and Kendal areas are obvious catchment areas for the new institute, and said the Newton Rigg site near Penrith – home of the former agricultural college – was the obvious base.

He said sporting and educational facilities are being improved by the site’s new owners, and open days are being held in the next half-term holiday.

Edmondson, who was in charge at Holker Street from 2013-15 and led the Bluebirds to the Conference North title, currently works as head of football for the Park View Academy of Sport in the north east, and believes there is scope for something similar in his home county.

As well as academies set up in a range of sports, it will also offer education courses in the form of Level 3 BTEC in sport and a fitness diploma.

Edmondson said it is designed to give school leavers the chance to train professionally and play against clubs and academies in the region, whilst equipping themselves with skills and qualifications.

Discussions are ongoing with a number of clubs and organisations both in Cumbria and beyond with a view to establishing links that can be mutually beneficial.

“The environment I want to put together will have Cumbrians working in it, whether teachers or professional coaches, and we’ll be linking to clubs to give us more connections to try and find those talented young people who might have slipped through the net,” he added.

“Education wise, what we’ll offer includes a Level 3 BTEC in sport, which gives enough UCAS points to get to university – it covers vast areas of sport and is a good qualification in itself.

“If university isn’t the way they want to go, and sport hasn’t taken them where they want, there are jobs in sport available for the skills they’ll get. It’s a good mix based on everybody’s needs."

Edmondson, who has just been announced as the new manager of Penrith AFC, added: "What sets it apart will be that there will be a games programme every week on Wednesdays, personal training/strength and conditioning work every day, GPS equipment to measure your data, and so on.

“Young people have had a torrid couple of years with Covid, not being able to play sport anything like as much as normal. I’m hoping this can be a release for them to come back out of that indoor bubble.

“And the fact we will be linking with some professional clubs will give another platform for young people to showcase their talent.”

For more information visit www.cumbriainstituteofsport.co.uk