Central Bedfordshire College have joined forces with two American Universities to provide their students with the chance of studying on the other side of the Atlantic.

The college have linked up with Tiffin University in Ohio and Belmont Abbey in North Carolina with a view to forging a mutually beneficial partnership.

After paying Central Beds College a visit, Belmont Abbey's assistant soccer coach Stuart Gore arranged the links with both his own establishment and Tiffin University.

The resulting partnership will allow students, if they meet the strict criteria, from the county to gain a degree and continue their footballing careers in the United States with the help of academic and sporting scholarships.

Players will be recommended to the respective institutions by the Central Beds College football development manager, Colin Sharpe, and this will be followed by assessments on the players' academic and footballing ability before a scholarship is offered.

A further benefit of the scheme is that Central Beds will also be invited to participate in tournaments against their American counterparts.