Navitas project managed the development of online Drugs Awareness resources on behalf of the FA, Premier League, Football League and PFA.
Funded by the FA, Premier League and Football League (via League Football Education), the resources are aimed at Apprentice and Scholars (aged 16-18) at Premier League and Football League clubs, and update the FA Drugs and Doping Control DVDs, which have been used since 2005 and have proved highly effective in educating football players in all aspects of the FA doping control process, as well as the implications of social drug and alcohol use.
The resources build on the template developed by LFE for the online Functional Skills material in 2010, to provide engaging and interactive content that the target audience can relate to via:
- realistic contexts for drug and alcohol abuse, scenarios and problems
- encouraging application of knowledge, skills and understanding in helping young footballers to avoid problems in this area
- opportunities for problem solving and linkages to the learners’ own situation (through the use of offline activities)
- interviews with high profile footballers and athletes (including Kolo Toure, Joey Barton and David Millar) who share their experiences of the issues surrounding drugs and anti-doping.
Working closely with specialist e-learning providers Kineo, the resources were be rolled out across Premier League and Football League clubs in July 2012.
Testimonials
"These materials form an essential part of the FA’s continuous drive to educate and raise the awareness of young footballers to the dangers of performance enhancing drugs, social drugs and alcohol. Building on the DVDs and education resources that are already distributed to over 20,000 young players at Premier League and Football League clubs, the e-learning materials will provide a highly engaging platform for Apprentices and Scholars to explore these issues in more detail."
— Chris Whittock - Doping Control Programme Manager, The FA
"We are excited about being able to further enhance these vital materials and deliver them in a format that will make a real impression on the Apprentices."
— Dan Jolley - Projects Officer, League Football Education
"The materials will supplement and enhance the wide range of education and welfare resources that are available to Premier League Scholars during the Apprenticeship programme, supporting our aim to help produce well rounded individuals with relevant life skills that can be applied whether they make at as professional footballers or not."
— Martyn Heather - Head of Education and Welfare, Premier League