Best Football Academies in the UK
If you’re a football enthusiast looking for that professional break, knowing how football academies work and what’s going to help you get scouted is important.
In this post, you’ll find all the information you need to know about the kind of academies you’ll find in the UK and what makes them the best. You’ll also find tips on how trials and the right footballing academy can help you get scouted by professional clubs.
The Two Kinds Of Football Academies
In order to best understand how the academy system works in the UK, it’s important to understand the types of academies that exist.
Generally, the two main kinds of football academies that you’ll find are: Club Academies and Private Academies. For each aspiring star, it’s important to get yourself associated with one or the other. Usually, players start by going to private football academies, and if they’re a special player, they’re often scouted to join a club’s academy system.
Club Academies
The goal for most aspiring football players is to end up at a club academy. These academies are directly linked with the professional clubs that many dream of playing for. Club football academies often represent the best of the best young stars and provide them with opportunities for the big break into professional football.
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Youngsters who are scouted by clubs and continue to impress are offered professional contracts, which pave the way to a first team start. But just because players are scouted by these academies doesn’t mean that the hard work ends there. If the club’s academy decides that you’re not good enough, you’ll be released.
It’s important to realise that getting selected to be a part of a club academy is incredibly difficult. But joining a private academy can make that process easier.
Private Academies
Private football academies are where the footballing journey usually starts for most youngsters. These academies are not linked with any professional club. Players can join such academies as long as they meet the requirements and take this as an opportunity to learn from experienced coaches who can prepare them to perform at trials.
These mostly work through a boarding system, where players live with the academy. Here, they are provided with training facilities and programs designed to help each player perform their best. Additionally, private academies ensure to provide academic support to players ensuring that their studies are not neglected in the pursuit of becoming a professional footballer.
The Best Football Academies In The UK
| Team | Most Notable Players | Who’s Currently Leading The Academy? |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United Academy | David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Ryan Giggs | Stephen Torpey |
| Liverpool FC Academy | Steven Gerrard, Trent Alexander Arnold, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Phil Thompson, Ian Callaghan | Alex Inglethorpe |
| Chelsea FC Academy | Ron Harris, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Tambling, John Terry, Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Reece James | Van Der Kraan and Jack Francis |
| Arsenal FC Academy | Tony Adams, Paul Merson, Andy Cole, Cesc Fabregas, Nicolas Anelka, Ashley Cole, Bukayo Saka | Per Mertesacker |
| Manchester City Academy | Alan Oakes, Shaun Wright Phillips, Daniel Sturridge, Micah Richards, Kasper Schmeichel, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer | Thomas Kruecken |
| Tottenham Hotspurs Academy | Ian Walker, Sol Campbell, Harry Kane, Glenn Hoddle, Stephen Carr, Jamie Redknapp, Nick Barmby | Richard Allen |
| Everton Academy | Wayne Rooney, Francis Jeffers, Richard Dunne, Ross Barkley, Leon Osman, David Unsworth, Tony Hibbert | Gareth Prosser |
| Southampton Academy | Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Luke Shaw, James Ward Prowse, Theo Walcott, Matt Le Tissier, Alan Shearer, Gareth Bale | Duncan Fearnhead |
| Aston Villa Academy | Jack Grealish, Gareth Barry, Gary Cahill, Darius Vassel, Lee Hendrie, Jacob Ramsey, Gabriel Agbonlahor | Mark Harrison |
| Fulham Academy | Johnny Haynes, Sean Davis, Eberechi Eze, Ryan Sessegnon, George Cohen, Moussa Dembele, Matt O’Riley | Steve Wigley |
| Crystal Palace Academy | Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Wan Bissaka, Gareth Southgate, Victor Moses, Tyrick Mitchell, Kenny Sansom, Nathaniel Clyne | Alex Wynter |
| Leeds United Academy | Paul Robinson, Jack Charlton, Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell, James Milner, Dennis Irwin, Kalvin Phillips | Martin Diggle |
| West Ham United Academy | Bobby Moore, Frank Lampard, Paul Ince, Geoff Hurst, Rio Ferdinand, Martin Peters, Michael Carrick | Kenny Brown |
What You Will Find At The Best Club Academies In The UK
With club academies in the UK, there’s very little that’s missing. In fact, when you’re a part of a club academy, you’ll be getting the best academy experience, which no private academy will be able to match. Let’s take a look what makes these academies the best in the UK:
World Class Facilities
It goes without saying that club academies have access to some of the best facilities in the world. And this isn’t something that’s limited to training. At club level, players have access to world class chefs, the best of the best gymming facilities, and high quality fields. These places offer the latest technology and best medical facilities, which ensure that players receive the best treatment possible. The aim is to provide young stars with everything they need to be able to perform at their highest capabilities.
Experienced And UEFA Qualified Coaches
It goes without saying that what makes club academies the best place to learn and develop into a professional footballer, are the coaches that they hire. Clubs spend millions in order to hire some of the best footballing minds in the world.
At club level, having the top UEFA qualifications is often just the starting requirement that coaches need to have. Clubs ensure that coaches at the academy have the experience to guide young players effectively. They want to make sure that players are ready to perform at the highest level and deal with the stress that comes with it. That’s why each player receives tailored training programs. Through this, coaches work personally with the players, ensuring that their strengths are improved and weaknesses are worked on.
Clear Development Pathway To A Professional Debut
Once players are scouted to be a part of the club’s academy, the pathway to becoming a professional footballer is set. Players start from trials, showcasing their skills and willingness to learn. Once they can impress the coaches, they’re given professional contracts. Through these contracts, youngsters can play for the club’s professional teams depending on their age groups.
Oftentimes, players will also be promoted past their age groups if they’re good enough. Just take a look at Marcus Rashford’s growth. At 18 years old, even the great players are playing for a club’s U21 team. Yet, sometimes you’ll see prodigies like Marcus come up, who skip past that and become starters for the club’s first team. At a club’s academy, each player has the chance to follow this kind of growth trajectory. It all depends on the player themselves.
Competitive Environment
At a club academy, players need to be ready to experience competitiveness that they’ve never seen before. At private academies, competitiveness needs to be high to ensure players can challenge themselves and perform better.
But at club level, it will be a whole new ball game. Here, you’re going to be alongside some of the best talents in the world, let alone the UK. These will be players that have been hand picked by scouts and coaches because of their technical abilities.
Players scouted to be at a club’s academy are those that coaches believe have the potential to become legendary footballers. Once you have the chance to be a part of something like this, you’ll be challenged like never before. And it’s at this point that your willingness to learn and attitude will help decide whether you’ve got what it takes to rise up in the ranks.
Overall Development
The one thing that all club academies collectively focus on is the holistic development of each player. While all academies focus on providing facilities for improving football skills, they also help players gain life skills. This is done by providing academic support and character building skills.
Academies understand that not every player has the ability to go professional, even if they’ve been scouted to be a part of a world class club. That’s why these places continue to offer support and help players grow as individuals so they can always have something to fall back on in case the footballing journey does not work out.
How Trials Can Get You Scouted For A Top Club Academy
The one thing about club scouts is that you’ll never know when they’re watching you play. However, the most common places to find these scouts are at matches and football trials.
How Trials Work
If you’re ever looking to impress a scout, the best place to do it is at a football trial. This is the place for you to show off your hard work and benefit from all the training that you’ve gone through. Let’s take a look at how trials work and why this is the one place you will always find a scout watching:
Briefing And Warmups
Trials start off with a quick briefing that informs the players about what they’ll be going through. During the briefing, the coaches will explain most of the drills and what they’re expecting from the players.
Once everything important has been said, the players will be grouped up and sent to warm up. The warmups allow the coaches to give the players time to adjust to the environment and calm any nerves that may affect how they perform. It’s crucial for players to use this time in order to become familiar with those around them and what’s to come.
Fitness Tests
As the warmups come to an end, the coaches will move onto fitness tests. By getting players to run endurance drills, coaches tend to size players up and determine how they’ll play in an actual game. The purpose of the fitness drills is to get a sense of what each player’s work rate is like.
Technical Tests
The technical tests are where players get their first chance to truly show off. Here, coaches test players’ shooting, passing, and decision making through multiple different drills. During the technical tests, players are often grouped according to the positions they play in. Attackers go against defenders and goalkeepers while midfielders help set the play for the attackers.
While showing off your skills is great, remember that a trial can make or break your path towards getting scouted for a club. It’s not the place for you to go and let your ego get the best of you. The best trial a player can give is by ensuring that they do the basics perfectly and stick to what they’re good at.
Full Match Practice
The full match practice is where your team work and game IQ will be tested. It’s generally easier for players to perform well during drills. But carrying that skill performance into an actual game is what the scouts and coaches are really looking forward to judging.
The match practices allow coaches to get a sense of what kind of player you are and how you perform under pressure. Coaches and scouts will be looking to see whether you’re trying to run the game by yourself or if you’re making your team play better. There are always some players who can take the game by the scruff of the neck, but that won’t be possible for everyone. That’s why it’s important to work with the team and play just the way the coaches want you to.
Post Trial Briefings
As the trial comes to an end, coaches bring everyone together for a debriefing session. Here, they provide their insights and inform players about how well they’ve performed and what they can work on. Usually, coaches stick to providing advice that works for everyone. If you’re looking to get personal advice, you can meet with the coaches after the main debrief is over.
What Scouts Are Looking For At Trials
Pre-Trial Behaviour And Attitude
Once you’ve entered the training ground, the trial has already started for you. It’s important to be at your best behaviour because you never know what is important for scouts. Some scouts tend to keep an eye out on what your behaviour is like before the trial starts and your general attitude.
There are very few players whose talent can match their attitude and ego. And there’s a very small chance that scouts are willing to put their trust in a player that tries to be the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ideally, coaches and scouts want players that won’t make a fuss out of everything and will listen to the advice they have to give.
A player’s attitude can dictate how their performances go. Having an ego can sometimes lead to players overestimating their ability against others. And that’s not something that scouts want to deal with.
Fitness Levels
It goes without saying that your fitness levels and technical levels are very important factors that scouts will be looking at. Clubs want players who can stand their ground and make it through entire games. Scouts will never go for players who don’t have the fitness levels to perform at the highest level.
As a player who’s at a trial, it’s understandable that sometimes your fitness may not be up to the mark of professionals who have been scouted. And that’s something that scouts understand can be worked on. Still, it’s important that players don’t get tired immediately and it shows that they can perform for a longer period of time.
Technical Skills
Scouts are always looking for talented players who can become the next big professionals with some guidance. As a result, looking at technical skills is a given.
At trials, players have to perform their best, showing off all the skills they’ve got and their understanding of the game. Players who can show that they understand the game better than others and have got the skills to pull off challenging passes and moves are more likely to catch a scout’s eye.
Teamwork
A player’s technical skill can really help them stand out, but how they use their skills to help the team also matters. In an actual football game, players get very few chances to change the game through solo moments of magic. Most of the time, it’s how the team plays together which matters and decides the outcomes of games.
Players can have all the talent in the world, but if they continuously choose to prioritize themselves over the team, that can ruin their image in front of scouts. This sort of behaviour rarely wins games and often does more damage to the team. Coaches also prefer to go for players who help the team improve even if it means replacing their star players.
How AF Global Can Simplify Your Route Towards Professional Football
As a player looking to get scouted for the big leagues, joining a football academy is the best way to go about things. These academies understand how clubs work and what their scouts are looking for. Thus, they design opportunities and programmes for each player’s personal development and in order to prepare them for success on and off the pitch.
Organisations like AF Global can help prepare players for trials and getting scouted for bigger clubs. AF Global is a football academy that embeds elite player training within existing schools and universities. This ensures that players receive the best kind of footballing development while also focusing on their studies. They have partnered with established schools such as the Beechwood School and Trinity School. This ensures that host institutions offer the academic facilities while AF Global focuses on providing football training.
Their team is filled with UEFA Qualified coaches and specialists who oversee player training in order to develop well rounded stars who can impress scouts when it really matters. The organisation also offers several opportunities to shine in front of scouts and professional coaches through tours, both international and domestic, and organized trials.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Manchester United has the best club football academy in the UK. The club is known to continuously develop star players such as David Beckham and Marcus Rashford who continue to thrive on the international scale.
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Yes, football academies in the UK offer a wide range of academic support to players. This ranges from GCSEs to BTECs and university education. Academies also offer support for vocational courses and language classes for international players.
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In the UK, football academies generally accommodate age groups ranging from U6 to U21. Here, they offer training programmes which are tailored to each age group’s needs.
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At a good football academy, players will find highly licensed and experienced coaches along with high quality facilities and peers. This will add competitiveness which aims to develop players by challenging them to perform better. Players will also find full academic support, ensuring their holistic development.
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The best way to get scouted at football academies is to show off your skills at football trials. While there’s no telling when a scout will be watching, players are more likely to find scouts at trials and other academy related programmes.
The Bottom Line
The UK houses some of the best football academies in the world and players always dream of getting picked to be a part of professional clubs here. If you want the opportunity to join academies owned by some of the biggest clubs in the world like Manchester United, finding the right private football academy should be your starting move.
These academies help develop players and train them to shine when it truly matters. Joining football development organisations like AF Global can provide you with opportunities to work on your footballing technique while focusing on your studies simultaneously. This allows for a balance between academic and sports, ensuring your holistic development.