On Tuesday 27^th September 2005 Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools and ardent Rushden & Diamonds fan, David Bell, officially opened the Diamonds Study Centre at Rushden and Diamonds Football Club. 

The Diamonds Study Centre, which is located in the Diamonds Business Centre alongside the Football in the Community Department, was established in April 2003 as part of the government’s national roll out of the Playing for Success programme (PfS). The centre at this club has developed through a partnership between Rushden and Diamonds Football Club, Northamptonshire County Council, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Football Foundation.  The centre provides young people, from schools across East Northamptonshire, with an exciting opportunity to improve their skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT as well as self-esteem, confidence and motivation through regular attendance on a ten week after school PfS course. During the course of the last academic year PfS activities were offered to 360 pupils from 27 different Secondary and Primary schools from the Rushden, Wellingborough and Kettering areas. The centre has also been used as a venue for the delivery of other courses which have focused on Gifted and Talented pupils, Enterprise Education, Looked after Children,90-ONE Road User Education and BtEC courses for the younger Diamonds professional footballers.

 The Study Centre is part of the Northamptonshire Study Centres Partnership and works collaboratively with its sister centres at the Cobblers, Saints and Steelbacks which are located at Northampton Town F.C, Northampton Saints R.U.F.C and Northamptonshire C.C.C respectively. The date was specifically chosen for the official opening date since it coincided with the local derby, between the Diamonds and Cobblers, and during the course of the day 12 pupils from Irthlingborough Junior School and 12 pupils from Milton Parochial Primary School have represented their two home town clubs by dressing in team colours and taking part in a variety of educational activities within the Study Centre. At the same time 6 pupils from Avondale Junior School and 6 pupils from Park Junior School have participated in PfS activities within the Kimberley Suite and have represented the fact that the Study Centre also serves the Kettering and Wellingborough areas.

 Rob Jones the Diamonds Study Centre Manager is an experienced teacher who is passionate about Playing for Success and he says “the initiative has received recognition both locally and nationally and the feedback, regarding the work being undertaken within the Study Centre, from the club, the teachers, the parents and the pupils themselves has been extremely positive. Our work has a major impact on the lives of young people and I would like to take this opportunity to commend the club for its involvement with the local community and the support it has given to the Study Centre.”

“I am also very honoured that someone of David Bells standing, in the field of Education, agreed to officially open the centre as David visited the Study Centre earlier this year and from our conversations I know that he is a true supporter of both “Playing for Success” and Rushden & Diamonds Football Club”.

The other main speakers at the official launch apart from David Bell (HMCI) and Rob Jones (Study Centre Manager) were Councillor Joan Kirkbride (Northamptonshire County Council) and  Shaun Hodgkin (Rushden and Diamonds FC)