The football academies in England are among the world’s best as these academies are owned by the best football clubs in England and the United Kingdom.
It is practically impossible to talk about football and not mention countries like England, Brazil, and Spain. This is practically where football originated from and their leagues are the most-watched in the world. In the football space England has the best football clubs in the world, I mean, you talk about Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham football clubs, etc. are widely known all over the world.
Turns out these top football clubs actually have academies that train younger, talented people to become professional footballers and, one day, compete for the club. You can even learn some important steps to take to participate in an online athletic training degree or even build your performance by enrolling in one of the best-accredited sports training programs.
Just like pursuing an academic degree in a higher institution, football academies are designed to train, develop, and equip youngsters with football skills and tactics that will make them relevant in the football industry.
Yes, you may be a natural talent at playing football but a football academy will train you to work with a team and develop that talent to become presentable. Hybrid sports training programs are one of the best places to start.
There are just so many things to gain from going to a football academy, in fact, without them, your football career and dream become dead and useless.
This is why we have created this article on the top football (soccer) academies in England to guide you through your journey of becoming a professional athlete in the football industry. England is a sought-after place to enroll in a football academy because you get to receive training from some of the finest coaches, get access to state-of-the-art training facilities, and can easily gain international recognition.
Before going on to list these top football academies, first take a look at how you can even get into an England football academy in the first place.
How to get into a Football Academy in England
The football academies in England can be highly competitive, in fact, within recent years, the average success rate for players attending trials at Premier League academies has been around 1%. A lot of things cause this competitiveness which we won’t be discussing here, but here are some tips you can use to get into one of the football academies in England.
- Purchase the application form of the academy whether online or offline, depending on the academy, fill it out correctly, and submit it.
- A reference letter from your recent football coach or school sports teacher will be attached to the application form or required separately
- Copies of your recent school report
- Attend open-day trials and showcase your skills, academies hold trials for players of different age groups throughout the year. An official letter will be sent to you if you are successful in joining the academy on a full-time or part-time basis.
- A brief soccer resume will include your name, date of birth, nationality, weight, height, favorite playing position, former clubs or school teams you have played for, and awards won or tournaments you have played.
- Confirm if you require a tier 4 student visa and learn how to get one
- Let your football academy know that your visa has been confirmed and start making travel preparations
- Finally, join the academy
Another way to join any football academy including in England is to be one of the best in your country’s football academy, academies always have scouts going around seeking talented young players. If a scout gets interested in your performance, they will invite you to attend a trial at their academy.
You can also get filmed while you play football, nowadays social media has made it easy for scouts to spot young talented players.
These are some of the requirements needed to join any of the football academies in the UK.
Without further ado, let’s get into the main subject matter.
Football Academies in England
The top football academies in England outlined below are in no particular order.
- FCV International Football Academy
- Chelsea Academy
- Saints Academy
- Manchester Academy
- LFC International Academies
- Everton FC Academy
- Man City Academy
- Aston Villa Soccer Schools
- West Ham United Academy
- Hull Tigers FC Academy
1. FCV International Football Academy
The FCV International Football Academy is one of the top football academies in England, it is located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. The academy is the first private football academy in the UK to provide football courses for upcoming footballers from the ages of 16 and above. The academy boasts of cutting-edge facilities to bring the best out of students and make them renowned professional footballers.
FCV also combines full-time football coaching with a wide range of education courses leading to a BA (Hons) in Sport Management or a BSc Sport Coaching degree. Also, international students are accepted into all of the programs.
2. Chelsea Academy
Chelsea Academy has reportedly produced some of the best students the world has ever seen, such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Eden Hazard, Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Declan Rice, and Jamal Musiala, amongst others.
One of the reasons for their repeated success is due to their massive investment in technology. They usually use GPS tracking, video analysis, and data science to monitor player performance and identify areas for improvement.
The Chelsea Academy is for age groups Under-9 through to Under-21.
3. Saints Academy
Saints Academy is the football academy of Southampton FC and it is one of the top football academies in England. It is also recognized as one of the leading academies in the country by holding Category 1 status in the Premier League’s new Elite Player Performance Plan. The academy graduates will go on to play for the club or decide to go on to play for other football clubs in England or abroad.
The Saints Academy enrolls young talents from under-15 to the under-21 age groups and focuses on helping them reach their full potential. The likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Chamberlain, etc. were groomed at the Saints Academy of Southampton FC.
4. Manchester Academy
We can’t talk about the top football academies in the UK without adding the Manchester Academy to the list. This is the football academy of Manchester United FC AKA the “Red Devils” which is one of the top clubs in England and the world. The academy is aimed at helping individuals realize their potential both socially and academically.
Some world-class students who graduated from Manchester Academy include David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, etc.
5. LFC International Academies
Liverpool FC (LFC) is one of the world’s best football clubs and has an academy that is equally recognized as one of the top football academies in England for providing some of the best footballers to ever grace the pitch. Such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, etc.
You can have a shot at this top English club by enrolling in the LFC International Academy, getting groomed with the best coaches, in the right facilities, and becoming a world-class footballer.
6. Everton FC Academy
Everton might currently not be among the English clubs you’ll regard as “top” but they still hold a record of having one of the best football academies in England. They have produced players Wayne Rooney, Wayne Wright, Ross Barkley, Tom Davies, Anthony Gordon, etc.
Their success could be attributed to their commitment to developing local talent, they have a strong focus on scouting and recruiting players from the Merseyside area. Also, the academy staff works relentlessly to plan and deliver a development program that gives players the best chance of achieving their footballing goals.
If you want to join the academy and aren’t approached by a scout yet, you can still apply for a trial if you think you are worthy of it and provide as much information about yourself as possible.
If you show potential, you will further be assessed at one of the club’s development centers and receive further coaching from the academy.
7. Man City Academy
This list will never be completed without mentioning the football academy of Manchester City FC, a club regarded as one of the best in the world, and perhaps the best in England after finally winning the treble and their first Champions League.
Their Academy might not have produced some of the top-class players the world has ever seen yet, but the likes of Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Brahim Díaz, Cole Palmer, and Rico Lewis show they have potential.
Their school is basically for young players from 5 to 14 years old.
8. Aston Villa Soccer Schools
Aston Villa has always been a source of academy-grown England international players. Villa, despite not being the most attractive or successful team, has a strong commitment to developing young players which include players like Jack Grealish, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Gary Cahill, etc. Academy players have been granted first-team opportunities on numerous occasions by the club. Players have gone on to have successful careers at other top clubs after failing to make the transition to first-team football on several occasions.
9. West Ham United Academy
West Ham is another club that has created some of the best students such as Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Declan Rice, and Mark Noble, amongst others. They integrate state-of-the-art technology advances with Premier League training techniques
to provide an intensive training program that will help build you for world-class performance.
10. Hull Tigers FC Academy
Hull Tigers Academy was created to invest in up-and-coming football talent while also providing the network, coaching, health, and lifestyle advice that each player requires to have a successful football career. If you live in the Hull City catchment area and want to pursue a career in football, the Hull Tigers Football Club Academy is the finest place to start.
The academy is located at Bishop Burton College, York Road, England. It makes use of state-of-the-art technologies and coaching methods to develop players and is actively seeking upcoming talents.
Key Takeaway
One of the things these best football academies in England have in common is track record. They have created several players that have graduated and gone on to become world-class footballers.
Another thing to consider is closeness, it’s important you enroll in an academy very close to home; also consider the cost.
FAQs
How much does it cost to join a football academy in England?
The cost of joining a football academy in England varies by academy ranging from £1,000 to £2,000, there are other costs not included here including transportation, accommodation (if you’ll be residing in the academy facility), etc.
Also, if you were selected by a scout from a football club or your trial assessment was impressive, you won’t be paying a dime as you are already a huge asset to the club.
What is the maximum age to join a football academy in England?
The maximum age is usually 16 years old, even though some clubs extend it till 18 and the minimum age is basically 9 but some academies enroll players as young as 6 years for development programs.
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