01
We teach the game, not the highlight reel.
Scanning before receiving. Body shape before the touch. The quiet skills that decide matches long before the camera finds them.
MATCHDAY -2TRAINING 08:00U17 AWAY FIXTURE SAT 15:00PHYSIO ROOM OPENKIT COLLECTION 17:00MEDICAL CLEARANCES DUE FRIDAYVIDEO REVIEW · DUGOUT 18:30S&C BLOCK 4 · WEEK 2MATCHDAY -2TRAINING 08:00U17 AWAY FIXTURE SAT 15:00PHYSIO ROOM OPENKIT COLLECTION 17:00MEDICAL CLEARANCES DUE FRIDAYVIDEO REVIEW · DUGOUT 18:30S&C BLOCK 4 · WEEK 2MATCHDAY -2TRAINING 08:00U17 AWAY FIXTURE SAT 15:00PHYSIO ROOM OPENKIT COLLECTION 17:00MEDICAL CLEARANCES DUE FRIDAYVIDEO REVIEW · DUGOUT 18:30S&C BLOCK 4 · WEEK 2
FIRST TOUCH · LAST WORD
ONSIDEFOOTBALL ACADEMYU9 → U19 → SENIOR · 412 PLAYERS · 36 STAFF
An elite pathway from under-nine to first team. UEFA-licensed coaching, a measured S&C model, and a football philosophy you can hear from the touchline. We don't sell promises — we publish the numbers.
4-3-3
1.78
42m
0
0
0
0
WHAT WE
ACTUALLY TEACH.
Four statements the staff signs every August. They are not slogans — they are the content of every session.
02
The ball is a pencil. Technique is handwriting.
A first touch is a sentence. Ten thousand of them, legible, is a player. We drill them every session, in both feet, under pressure.
03
Intensity is a decision, not a mood.
Sprint distance on a Tuesday is not a reward for a good Saturday. It is the rent you pay for the next one. Non-negotiable.
04
Write your name on the team sheet.
The manager picks eleven. You spend the other six days making it impossible to leave you off. The academy builds that habit.
AGE PATHWAYS · U9 → SRSEVEN RUNGS.
SEVEN RUNGS.
ONE LADDER.
Each age group has its own syllabus — what tactical behaviours we teach, what physical qualities we protect at that developmental window, and how many hours on grass.
U9
4 h / wk
Ball mastery · 1v1 decisions
Coordination ladders · playful speed
U11
6 h / wk
Receiving on the half-turn
Multi-directional agility
U13
8 h / wk
Playing out · press triggers
Growth-aware loading
U15
10 h / wk
Positional play · 3rd-man runs
Sprint mechanics · strength base
U17
12 h / wk
Full systems · set-piece IP
Max-velocity blocks · hypertrophy
U19
14 h / wk
Senior-league integration
Periodised S&C · match-load mgmt
SR
18 h / wk
First team · opposition prep
Full load · GPS-tracked outputs
FIVE FROM
THE ELEVEN.
A handful of the current senior squad. Every number on the back was once on an academy bib — we value continuity of identity.
7
B. Calhoun
Prev: Millwall U19
7
0
0
4
D. Ayodele
Prev: Charlton Academy
4
0
0
10
R. Vigneault
Prev: Montréal Impact U17
10
0
0
9
K. Adebayo
Prev: Brentford B
9
0
0
1
M. Kowalski
Prev: Legia Warsaw U21
1
0
0
11
TWENTY
SEVEN
NAMES.
A single-page roster including trialists and under-19 callups is published every Wednesday at 1700, with minutes, positions, and GPS loads for the prior week.
FULL ROSTERA WEEK
ON GRASS.
Every session has a stated intent, a GPS-load target, and a review clip. Nothing on grass is unplanned; nothing in the gym is random.
MON
Tactical film + activation
0800 gym activation · 0930 video · 1030 rondo blocks · 1130 positional pattern rehearsal
3.5h
TUE
Max-intensity session
0900 speed primer · 1000 11v11 transition game · 1130 set-piece drill · 1200 recovery
4.0h
WED
Recovery + skill
Pool session · massage window · afternoon individual technical · 1v1 finishing
2.0h
THU
Structured tactical
Shape work in thirds · pressing triggers · matchday scenario in final hour
3.5h
FRI
Matchday prep
0930 travel brief · 1030 activation · walk-through · set pieces · early release
2.0h
SAT
Fixture
First team · U19 · U17 · U15 · arrivals from 1230 KO 1500 at Ashwood Lane
—
SUN
Film · decompress
0930 full match review (coaches only) · players receive individual clip packs by 1800
1.5h
PRINCIPLES · 01–05
- 01Build from the back.
- 02Press in triggers.
- 03Complementary angles.
- 04First-time release in final third.
- 05Defend forward.
WHO WRITES
THE SESSION.
Four lead staff members. The full coaching group runs to twenty-six including age-group assistants and goalkeeping.
ACADEMY
Thiago Albaredo
UEFA Pro · 12 yrs Sporting CP pathway · ex-professional (120 caps)
FIRST-TEAM
Noémie Castagnet
UEFA A · former OL Féminin midfielder · MSc Performance
GOALKEEPING
Hiroshi Yamazaki
UEFA Pro · GK specialist · ex-Yokohama F. Marinos
HEAD
Declan Moreau
UKSCA · PhD Sport Science · 8 yrs Premier League academy
RECEIPTS.
WWDWLW
13/7
| Date | Comp | Opponent | Score | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APR 19 | League | Ashford Town | W | 3–1 | Adebayo ×2 · Vigneault |
| APR 12 | Cup | Northfield FC | W | 2–0 | Calhoun · Adebayo |
| APR 05 | League | Southbridge U23 | D | 1–1 | Vigneault |
| MAR 29 | League | Harrowgate Pk | W | 4–2 | Adebayo · Calhoun ×2 · OG |
| MAR 22 | Friendly | Velma Rangers | L | 1–2 | Vigneault |
| MAR 15 | League | Cliffside Rov. | W | 2–1 | Calhoun · Adebayo |
ASHWOOD LANE · 18 HAWHERE
WHERE
THE WORK
HAPPENS.
Eighteen hectares off the M27, fifty-seven metres above sea level, built around a single brief: every pitch within eight minutes of the gym, the classroom, or the physio bed.
VISIT THE GROUNDS0
2 x hybrid grass · 2 x 3G · floodlit
0
technical · small-sided games
0
45 × 25 m · futsal surface · rain-weather
0
force plates · VBT · Woodway · sled gantry
0
underwater treadmill · cryo · in-house physio
0
tactical suites · Hudl / Wyscout terminals
HOW TO
BE SEEN.
Submit once. A lead coach for your age group responds within four working days. Trial sessions are free and capped at twenty-four players. Bring your boots. Everything else is provided.
BEFORE
YOU CALL.
We begin formal intake at U9. Pre-academy (ages 6–8) runs on Saturday mornings as a development window; it is scouted by the same staff who lead the U9/U11 programmes. Entry is via trial, not waitlist position.