A Windsor sports academy that focuses on hockey is planing to expand its program to include soccer, baseball and fastball as part of its curriculum.

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board launched the F.J. Brennan Centre of Excellence and Innovation last year and now wants it to include two more academies.

“Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. And this area has always had a strong core of baseball enthusiasts. So, we’re confident there will be a lot of student interest in these new course offerings,” said Kevin Hamlin, the principal of the centre.

Currently, the The Central Park Athletics facility is being expanded to include an indoor soccer pitch and baseball

training facility.

The program is open to students from Grade 7 to Grade 12, from Corpus Christi Catholic middle school and F.J. Brennan Catholic high school.

Students spend half the day in the classroom and the other half at the sports academy, where they develop skills in their sport.

"It's consistent with our healthy and active living mandate," said Hamlin. "We're engaging the students physically in the morning, they're more alert mentally, so that when they do walk in the classroom, they're on their game."

The board is also looking for baseball and soccer experts to work at the centre to oversee student development.

The Hockey Canada Skills Academy was launched in September 2014, and has more than 90 students in the program.