Solihull College & University Centre

Gary Cahill studied a sports and fitness therapy course at the College whilst playing for Aston Villa early in his career. Gary went on to become a Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League winner with Chelsea. He made his England debut in 2010 and has since been capped 61 times. He has represented his country in 4 major tournaments. He continues to achieve success in his football career as club captain at Chelsea.

Charlie Fogarty graduated the College in 2018 with a degree in Applied Sports Science. In March 2012, Charlie defied all odds to survive after a devastating accident left him with a diffuse axonal injury and doctors weren’t sure if he would survive. In a coma for four months before waking, Fogarty had to relearn even the most basic of tasks. ‘Usually you only get one chance at life, but I got two’ he states. He taught himself to speak, walk, dress and eat again and through it all his sense of determination never faltered. He went on to set up the Solihull Moors Open Age Disability team and has since visited over 50 football clubs to deliver motivational speeches to young footballers. He also began playing for Northern Ireland’s Cerebral Palsy international team. In 2017, he was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to young people in Solihull.

Army Corporal, Sohail Ilfraz studied Public Services at the College. His experience prepared the way for his armed forces career. ‘It was the best 2 years ever, adventure training and PT’ he says of his course, ‘Requirements such as uniform checks and time management have resulted in a great career built on structure’. Sohail is currently based in Aldershot in Hampshire. He hopes to be an instructor at Phase 1 training or work for an embassy overseas, potentially Washington DC.