A product of Cheltenham Town's under-18s Football Development programme, hosted in partnership with All Saints' Sixth Form, is looking forward to taking his place at a prestigious London Drama School after completing his studies as part of the programme.
Iwan White has been offered the opportunity to study at the Court Theatre Drama School in the capital where he will be studying for a BA Hons in Acting.
Iwan has been part of the under-18s development squad who are based at All Saints and balance their educational studies with training and playing matches for a development side that operates underneath the under-18s scholarship programme.
He is the latest student who has successfully balanced his education with playing football as a goalkeeper for the Robins and is now looking forward to the challenge that awaits him in his next chapter when he moves to London.
We caught up with him to see how he found balancing his education with turning out for Cheltenham as a goalkeeper.
Now your studies have finished, what is it that you’re heading into next?
After finishing my two years with Cheltenham Town FC along with completing my A-levels, I am now moving to London to pursue a career in acting with the Court Theatre Drama School.
What is it about drama as a subject you enjoy so much?
It has to be the thrill and the excitement of performing in front of large audiences. I love the challenge of taking on different types of characters, experimenting with accents, and learning to project different emotions to make that character come true. It was always a dream along with my football.
What have been your highlights in your time at All Saints?
To be honest I’ve had a lot of highlights with All Saints’ Academy, but one of my favourites has to be gaining Sixth Form head student of year 13. To me this was a big opportunity where I got to talk and deliver speeches in front of large audiences, along with giving my own ideas to help improve the Sixth Form as a whole. Another would have to be playing in the college league football matches taking on the role of captain in my second year with the club, which to me felt like a big achievement considering I’m a goalkeeper. Finally, taking on the lead roles in the school shows as they helped me to build my acting skills and level of confidence to make it to a London drama school.
How did you find balancing your time with Cheltenham Town?
Once I got a work and training schedule going, it was pretty fun and easy to work with. A couple of mornings a week I would train with Gary Baines and the academy goalkeepers at Seasons training ground, and then I would go back to All Saints and dedicate the rest of my day to studying, following an evening session with Richard Cox. Once I found the balance between work and football, it was very enjoyable.
Do you think it’s a good way of progressing with your education while being in a football environment too?
100% - in fact it made my time with All Saints much more enjoyable and easier knowing there was a training session or a game that evening. One thing this course will teach you as a footballer is that your education is equally as important as your football. So It works well in your favour if you keep on top of your studies throughout the academic year, otherwise it could cost you being on the team sheet on a Wednesday/Thursday.
Everyone at Cheltenham Town wishes Iwan the best of luck with his studies and the new opportunity he is looking forward to in London.
If you are of under-18 school age and are interested in the possibility of balancing a full time education with the chance to progress in a professional football environment as part of the Cheltenham Town Development programme, find out more by contacting Rich Cox by emailing rich.cox@ctfc.com
Discover more about the course and the opportunities involved for young players via the All Saints' Academy website.