Sport at Langley
Here at Langley, we pride ourselves on creating a sport environment in which all pupils are able learn, strive and succeed. We value the role we have, and what sport offers in terms of developing a love of movement and setting the foundations for life-long engagement in physical activity. Pupils get the opportunity to develop world-ready skills such as teamwork, communication and leadership and when things don’t go our way on the sports field we encourage pupils to be reflective, have a growth mindset and show resilience as they bounce back from set backs.
Our staff come from a variety of sporting and educational backgrounds and share their passion for sport with our pupils. They buy in to the long win approach to sport and the notion that it provides enjoyment and the ability to create life-long memories that our pupils will take with them when they leave. We have relationships with a number external organisations who help to extend the sporting offer that we give to our pupils, assisting in high performance participation and potential career opportunities in the sport and active leisure industry. For more information on our Vision for Sport, please see the document below and for any further questions please contact our Head of Sport, Stu Field at sfield@langleyschool.co.uk
Sporting partners
- British Canoeing
- Harleston Magpies Hockey Club
- Leicester Tigers Rugby Academy
- Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
- Norwich City Football Club
- University College of Football Business (UCFB)
Academies
- Langley Football Academy (LFA)
- The Netball Club at Langley
The Netball Club at Langley welcomes girls from schools throughout Norfolk to train and develop as netballers and sports players. It is run by a qualified UKCC Level 2 coach with England Pathways coaching experience.
Sporting Vision
Sport Staff Profiles
Ali Colman
Langley Football Academy’s Head of Football
I spent six years at the Community Sports Foundation working my way up from part time Coach to Sport Development Officer. The following six years after that I spent at Norwich City Football Club, working initially as Operations Manager/Academy Coach, and then moving to Foundation Phase Lead Coach position, before joining the Langley Football Academy.
My proudest sporting moments include seeing players that I’ve coached go on to make their first team debut for Norwich City, along with players I have coached representing their youth international teams, and of course Matt Ward coming into the LFA from China and leaving us as a professional footballer with Ipswich Town.
Stu Field
Head of Langley Sport
My proudest sporting moment was watching my wife be crowned European Champion with England Hockey O35s in Holland. It wasn’t me playing but I was proud to be able to support her to have that opportunity and experience.
Thinking about the future of sport at Langley, I’m excited about pupils and students experiencing different things in terms of physical activity; getting the opportunity to experiment, play and compete and look at the foundations that we can help with in terms of their long term active lifestyles.
Ryan Findlay
Head of Years 3 and 4,
Maths and Games Teacher
It would be difficult to pinpoint a single proud moment of my career to date. The obvious ones that stand out to me are winning the Louis Brooks trophy with Norfolk Youth Cricket, being awarded the league player of the year during my season in Australia and, more recently, receiving my Norfolk County Cap which is “the highest honour a player can earn during their Norfolk Career and players will only achieve this with consistent match-winning performances on the field along with high levels of professionalism off the pitch.”
Now working at Langley School, I am most excited about developing the young talent at our Prep School, not only on the pitch, but also teaching them what it takes in terms of attitude and effort to succeed and develop in sport, as well as the opportunities sport can provide as they become young adults.
Grant Holt
Director of Football,
Langley Football Academy
From league to FA Cup, Grant made 586 appearances during his playing career and scored an incredible 193 goals. Today, he leads the Langley Football Academy and is also a scout for West Ham.
Mike Jones
Head of Year 10, Head of Cricket
My proudest playing moment was probably representing England in the Masters Indoor Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2019. However, I’ve also been very fortunate to meet the Royal Family, including the Queen twice, through cricket which was an amazing experience. My proudest coaching/ Langley moment happened quite recently when a young man, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, who I’d been coaching for a couple of years, made his County age group team. The expression, excitement and joy on his face when he told me made it all worthwhile!
I’m very excited about the future and direction of Langley Sport. The opportunities being given to our pupils could well be life-changing in so many ways, from getting active, to learning teamwork, sportsmanship, respect, discipline, humility, resilience, the list is endless. There’s no better experience than seeing the realisation on a pupil’s face when they achieve something they didn’t think they can do. I’m excited for many more moments like that at Langley!
Jordan King
Langley Football Academy Coach
Coaching is a strong passion of mine and something that I enjoy, seeing young players progress and helping them meet their individual goals. During my time with the football club I have experienced a number of players who have progressed into academy football and careers into the sporting industry.
In 2018 I completed my FA UEFA B Licence football qualification and this has allowed me to develop within my coaching career enhancing my personal development and experiences. I am always looking to grow in all areas as a coach and a person, benefiting the players who I work with.
At Langley I am looking forward to continuing to support and further develop the students at the school both on and off the pitch, with their future exit routes and pathways. I am aware of some of the previous success stories from the LFA and the most recent being Matty Ward, playing with him at Wroxham FC throughout his transition into senior football.
Sam Lockwood
Head of Rugby
My proudest sporting moment was having my son Otis run onto the pitch after I played 80 minutes and beat Sale at St James Park in front of 20,000+ fans. Another notable moment was finishing in the Premiership top four and playing in a semi final.
Now, I’m looking forward to watching the development of our current crop of younger rugby players at Langley and continuing to grow our rugby programme.
Catriona MacIver
Head of Hockey
I first started playing hockey in Year 6 when my school entered a 7-a-side tournament and did trials to find a team, from there I joined a club alongside school, and then threw myself into club, county and regional training. When I had to make the decision as to which sport I would continue to play outside of school it was hockey that beat tennis, sailing and dance. hockey was the one that I have continued with through university and to this day, playing for Harleston Magpies. I began coaching during Sixth Form and continued this through university and here I am today, working at Langley.
Across different phases of my sporting life, three occasions come to mind for my proudest moments; firstly, winning the Indoor Hockey National Championships U16 with Harleston Magpies, which was my first national competition that I had competed in and the moment when the final whistle went is one I will always remember. Secondly, getting through to the final of BUCS Cup with Oxford Brookes Hockey while in my final year of university, after a trek up to Dundee for the semi-final, we were determined not to waste the trip and clinched it with penalty flicks. The hard work from the season and teamwork paid off to make us the only Brookes team to make it through. Most recently, the selection for my National League Hockey debut with Harleston Magpies before Christmas, showing me that my drive to better my own playing had paid off. These moments are markers for me to see progression.
Going forward, I think the people we have working on the future of Langley sport is exciting, we are all collaborating to bring the potential out of the pupils and to give them the best experience we can. This links with listening to the pupil voice to help to continually develop the programme we set out for them, understanding that it will be a fluid process. I am excited to develop the hockey and there are passionate pupils at all levels who I look forward to working with to create a memorable experience for them as they evolve as players. This process is building and I look forward to seeing where it takes us.
Vanessa Mallows
Head of Netball
It is very difficult to pick a moment that I am most proud of because in a coaching role I think there are many moments that are special and of note. However, during my time as a teacher, one of the mixed teams I coached made it through to the county finals, representing the area – a major achievement for a small village school. At a higher level, the satellite team I coached won the inter-county pathways tournament.
I am happy to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and enthusiasm of netball with young athletes and hopefully promote a lifelong love of sport – I am a keen swimmer, runner, and cyclist too – taking part in many events, particularly triathlons. Sport has always played such an important role in my life.
Iain Martin
Prep School Head of Boys Games
Captaining my college Borough Road to the British Colleges cup, beating Oxford University varsity side, on the way representing Scotland at hockey are some of my proudest moments. As are, coaching our U11 girls rugby side to win silver at the IAPS finals, and then coaching them to win the U13 East hockey finals – we are the first school from Norfolk ever to do so!
Thinking about the future of Langley sport, I’m delighted that we now play so many matches and involve all children, ensuring they represent the school, and with so many new sports being added to the curriculum for pupils it’s an exciting time.
Shana Potgieter
Netball Coach
Proudest moment to date is winning coach and team of the year while at Leeds University.
I am very excited to help grow talent within netball at Langley. It has been great to her about everything Langley and the county are doing to nurture talent and create player pathways from school level. If we are able to get more students interested in the sport and help them on their way to further their experience within the sport, I will be very happy!
Chris Stocker
Tennis Coach
More recently I have become the Norfolk Performance Officer, charged with nurturing and developing the future of Norfolk Tennis. With many past and present Langley pupils having represented the county, I look forward to helping many more succeed on court!
Jonny Wheeler
Rugby Coach
I am proud to have had players in every age group of The Yorkshire Rugby Academies – Developing Player Programme and had players in their U18 Academy League Squad for every year I was at Pocklington. In other sports, I coached an U15 Female High Jump Athlete who is nationally ranked in the top 10 for her event, as well as a pupil at Pocklington School who is now playing for Hull FC in Super League.
As a player I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to represent South West Students Rugby League and then Great Britain Pioneers in a test match vs Bosnia and Herzegovina. I also played in the first round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup and gained a colour from the University of Bath for my contributions to rugby league.
My proudest sporting moment to date was coaching Pocklington School’s U15 team to the NatWest Bowl Final when the previous season they had won just two games.
Joining Langley, I am most excited about working with a proud sporting history and doing everything I can to help the current pupils add to that legacy.
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