Madi Elliott: 'I Don't Know Where I'd Be Without Leicester City'
- Leicester City in the Community’s Madi Elliott shares her story as part of National Apprenticeship Week
- She completed her apprenticeship in August and now works full-time for the Club’s charitable arm
- National Apprenticeship Week takes place between 5-11 February
- Madi has been shortlisted for National Coach Core Apprentice of the Year
For 22-year-old Madi Elliott from Beaumont Leys, an apprenticeship with Leicester City in the Community (LCitC) has helped to shape her life.
After being encouraged to start an apprenticeship with the Club’s charitable arm by a friend, Madi has since gone on to develop a love of coaching, and with it the opportunity to increase her confidence and self-esteem levels.
She started out on the Coach Core apprenticeship in early 2022, working alongside coaches from various LCitC programmes to improve the lives of thousands of people across the city and county.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week (5-11 February), Madi shares her story in the hope of inspiring other young people who may be in a similar situation to what she was.
She said: “After finishing school, I went to Loughborough College to study Sports Science. I quickly realised it wasn’t for me as I didn’t enjoy being sat in a classroom all day, so I left, and I was at a crossroads as I didn’t know what I wanted to do.
“I ended up working at McDonald’s to try and earn a bit of money, but lockdown hit soon after and I was out of work. It was a frustrating time.
“It was only during the pandemic, when I ended up doing some volunteering for a charity, that I realised my passion was coaching. I loved doing that, and it was from there I came into contact with Leicester City in the Community.
“I applied for a place on the Kickstart scheme, and I was lucky enough to be selected. That gave me the boost I needed, and I did that for six months before my manager Dan [Mitchinson] encouraged me to apply for an apprenticeship.
“One of my friends had previously done the apprenticeship so that gave me a little extra motivation to do it, so I started on the Coach Core apprenticeship in early 2022 and finished it in August 2023.”
Discussing the apprenticeship, Madi explains how the programme helped her to develop, both personally and professionally.
“The apprenticeship was really hands on. I did lots of different work in various areas of Leicester, with examples being working on projects like Premier League Primary Stars, Premier League Kicks and Active Women.
“Working in such diverse communities in the city gave me so many transferable skills. These include improved confidence, communication and organisational skills, partnership building and networking.
“Before the apprenticeship, I probably didn’t know how to talk to someone in a professional way, so I’ve now been able to do that and build relationships and trust with people.
“I honestly don’t know where I’d be without Leicester City in the Community. I wouldn’t have the dreams that I now have if it wasn’t for the apprenticeship. It’s given me freedom to dream big and have ambitions I never thought I’d be able to reach.
“It’s thanks to the apprenticeship that I’ve been able to secure a full-time job as Active Women coach. It’s amazing and I still can’t believe it.”
The Active Women scheme works with women aged 18-49 across Leicester - targeting the St Matthews and Highfields areas of the city - by delivering a range of programmes and sessions to increase levels of physical activity, improve wellbeing, reduce social isolation and develop employability skills.
“At first, I found Active Women very different to what I’d been used to previously as I’d mainly only ever worked with children and young people.
“Working with different types of communities was challenging, but it taught me a lot about myself, and I absolutely love it now.
“I feel so comfortable working with the participants and they’re all just so nice to me. It’s a brilliant programme to be involved in.”
She credits the apprenticeship for putting her on the right path, and reserves praise for those she has worked with.
“I’ve learnt so much working with different colleagues. They’ve pushed me to go out of my comfort zone and it’s helped me massively.
“It’s literally a dream to work for Leicester City. It’s so surreal. I’ve gone from being a fan to an employee. It’s mad.
“It’s an amazing place to work. The support I’ve had from Dan has been unreal. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He was a brilliant mentor and was always checking up on me, so I couldn’t have asked for more really.”
Please click HERE for more information about Leicester City in the Community.
To learn more about the Coach Core charity, please click HERE.