List Of Football Academies In England – The Top 52

There are a number of variables to look at when searching for a football academy which is why I have compiled a list of football academies in England – and I mean the top ones.

Promotion of academy players to first team positions within a club is something you should look put for.

But then again, with competition at the top clubs across England and Europe this criteria could prove a tough indicator to follow.

The list could go on and on.

However, you should look out for academy team success.

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Team success would of course be based on silverware won by each academy team.

Whether you want to know which football club has the best youth academy in England or you’re asking for the best football academy in England, it’s going to become debatable if I were to address that subject.

However, I could recommend couple of them based on the amount of academy graduates in their current first team, how many of their academy graduates play in Europe’s top 5 leagues, and the most successful youth academies for winning silverware.

Here we go:

• AFC Bournemouth Academy
• Arsenal F.C. Academy
• Aston Villa F.C. Academy

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How To Get Into A Football Academy In England

Before I list the requirements, you need to know that football academies in England combine an intensive professional football training program with a secondary or university education, thus you are acquiring a secondary school certificate or a university degree too.

The age range of students most football academies in England admit is between 16 and 21.

Now read below to have an idea of what is required of you to join a football academy in England.

• You will need to attend an Open Day and play in a trial match. If successful, an official offer will be sent
• Accept the offer by completing relevant forms, terms and conditions and return with the first installment of fees by the deadline set
• Confirm if you require a tier 4 student visa and learn how to obtain one
• If you require a student visa, it is likely you will need to prove your knowledge of English Language, this can be done through arranging and sitting a recognized qualification such as the IELTS test
• The College will conduct an interview (face to face or Skype) with curriculum staff to ensure that the course is appropriate and that you understand the course content. Once this has been completed the College will proceed with the CAS application to issue the student visa
• Apply for a visa if required through the relevant embassy
• Complete and return further Academy registration forms as instructed
• Make travel arrangements
• Inform Football Academy of Visa confirmation (if applicable) and travel arrangements
• And then join the academy

Note: This is just a general step by step guide to apply to a football academy in England, each club may have their own specifics. Be sure to check out their individual websites.

Now that the problem of how to join a football academy in England from Nigeria is out of the way, let’s take a look at my list of top football academies in England.

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Top football academies in England

David Beckham Academy

Arsenal F.C. Under-23s and Academy

AFC Bournemouth Under-21s and Academy

Bolton Wanderers F.C. Reserves and Academy

Aston Villa F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy

Blackburn Rovers F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Brentford F.C. Reserves and Academy

Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Reserves and Academy

Burnley F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Charlton Athletic F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Chelsea F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Colchester United F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy

Crystal Palace F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Doncaster Rovers F.C. Academy

Derby County F.C. Reserves and Academy

Everton F.C. Reserves and Academy

Fulham F.C. Academy

Glenn Hoddle Academy

Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Reserves and Academy

Hull City A.F.C. Reserves and Juniors

Ipswich Town F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Leeds United F.C. Reserves and Youth Team

Leicester City F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Academy of Light

Lilleshall Hall

Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy

Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy

Manchester United F.C. Reserves and Academy

Middlesbrough F.C. Reserves and Academy

Newcastle United F.C. Reserves and Academy

Nike Academy

Norwich City F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Nottingham Forest F.C. Under-23s, Under-18s and Academy

Portsmouth F.C. Reserves and Academy

Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy

RIASA

Sheffield United F.C. Academy

Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Academy

Southampton F.C. B team and Academy

St George's Park National Football Centre

Stoke City F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Under-23s and Academy

V9 Academy

Wallsend Boys Club

Watford F.C. Under-23s and Academy

West Bromwich Albion F.C. Reserves and Academy

West Ham United F.C. Under-23s and Academy

AFC Wimbledon Development Squad and Academy

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Development Squad and Academy

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That's all the England football academy list there is. If there are any more top ones I didn't mention, you have the floor – just drop them in the comment box below.

This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago