Learning Centre to Open at the Emplas Commercial North Stadium in 2026

Chadderton FC is proud to announce the arrival of the Chadderton Learning Centre, an independent alternative education provision opening in January 2026 at the Emplas Commercial North Stadium. Utilising the £1m+ newly renovated, state-of-the-art facilities, the Learning Centre will create a unique, high-quality environment where education, sport and personal development come together. 

With a purpose built education hub coming later in 2026, the Chadderton Learning Centre will offer students who are facing barriers to learning and progression in mainstream education, a comprehensive programme made up of sports based vocational pathways, core academic themes, ongoing personal development and wellbeing support. The Centre aims to re-engage, inspire, and unlock the potential in young people who require alternative education provision.

This is another hugely positive step forward for the Football Club, it allows Chadderton FC to continue in its mission to be at the heart of the local Community, supporting wider stakeholders of the town and further enhances its ambition to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of young people, through sport and education. 

Additionally, with the Centre being based at the Football Club, this partnership provides a valuable progression pathway with a potential destination for students being Chadderton FC’s newly launched Post-16 college course with VLUK. This collaborative approach between the Football Club and the Chadderton Learning Centre provides a map to real-world opportunities using the power of sport. 

Dale Harris (Chadderton FC) commented: “This is really exciting, not only for the football Club to be part of but for our Community as a whole. The power of sport and football is huge, we all know that. If as a Club, we are given the opportunity to use our facilities in a positive way, wider than just football, then we 100% should do.

The Chadderton Learning Centre is going to be something special. I am really looking forward to seeing it flourish and the impact it can have. Personally, it is a real privilege to be part of it, along with a group of familiar faces to the Club, all of who have Chadderton, young people and enhancing our local community at the forefront of their plans. By working together to re-engage learners and steer their path to a positive destination, we can have a huge impact.

A real, sports based alternative education provision, with the facilities to match, working in collaboration with the wider education landscape in Oldham can and will be really powerful. It will also align and link in perfectly with our Post 16 college programme.” 

The opening of the Chadderton Learning Centre marks another exciting milestone in the redevelopment of the stadium and its role as a hub for education, football and community success. 

Further details about programmes, admissions and referral pathways can be found by visiting www.chaddertonlearningcentre.co.uk.