Chelsea. Arsenal. Manchester City. Manchester United. Liverpool. Five Category 1 academies that between them have produced Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Reece James, and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the space of a single generation. England’s academy system, restructured by the EPPP in 2012, now ranks among the most productive in the […]
France is, right now, one of the most productive football nations on the planet. Eleven French clubs sit in the global top 50 for academy output according to the CIES Football Observatory, a research body that tracks how many academy-trained players are currently active in Europe’s top five leagues. Three of those clubs (PSG, AS […]
90% of academy players in England are released before the age of 18. Of the 1.5 million boys who play organised youth football in this country, approximately 180 will be signed professionally by a Premier League club. That is a success rate of 0.012%. Yet the clubs that consistently produce the world’s best players operate […]
Women’s football has never been more popular. England’s Lionesses won Euro 2025 in a dramatic penalty shootout against Spain, cementing their place as the dominant force in European football. Alessia Russo continues to lead Arsenal’s attack with power and precision. Lauren James is dazzling fans across the WSL and beyond. Michelle Agyemang was crowned the […]
France is one of the finest countries in the world for developing young footballers. It’s home to some of Europe’s most respected programmes at professional clubs, private academies and specialist goalkeeper centres. Whether your child is a complete beginner or a competitive club player, whether you’re based nearby or travelling from further afield, there’s a […]
Football is above all a team sport. It brings together 11 players on the field, but also an extended group that actively participates in training. However, football is also a sum of individual talents. Among them, one position stands out in almost every team: that of the goalkeeper. Demanding position, it requires specific training that […]
FC Barcelona’s academy, La Masia, is the very best in the world. Some other academies may come close, like Ajax and Real Madrid, but La Masia is still significantly better. It is the only academy that has provided all three of the podium positionns for the Ballon d’Or when Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi […]
When Joao Felix was only eighteen, Atletico Madrid signed him for €126 million, making him the most expensive teenager ever and the fifth most expensive football transfer. He joined Porto’s academy at only the age of eight but was released seven years later and signed to Porto’s academy. Fortunately for him, the Benfica training center […]
If you dream of becoming a football pro one day, then your biggest chance to help that dream come true is to join an academy. Whether it is Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon or Kyllian Mbappé at AS Monaco, virtually all football players had to work their way up through the […]
Football camps are almost a rite of passage today. Indeed, whether it is pre-season camps, which are perfect for building team spirit all while working on the physical aspect of football, or mid/end of season camps to focus on technical ability, lots of clubs and ex-professional players want to create their very own camp. But […]
