UCFB is delighted to announce the launch of its brand new Men’s Football Academy, at our Wembley Campus. The academy provides unparalleled opportunities for aspiring professionals to study university degrees in football coaching, management, business and numerous other sectors of the sports industry. These unique programmes will be completed alongside a full-time training schedule, giving our students the best chance of a successful career, on or off the pitch.
Elite level players are able to train with the intensity and competitivity of a professional footballer, led by highly experienced coaches from the English Premier League and academy system. The primary aim of the academy is to allow players who have been released from professional club academies to continue to develop their footballing talents through a full-time coaching and education programme.
Mike Walsh, UCFB’s Director of Football, said: “After the success of the Men’s academy in the North and Woman’s academy at Wembley, with both teams reaching BUCS division 1 A, I am excited for the launch of the Men’s Academy at Wembley. This is hopefully the start of many academies to come and will form part of the future sports strategy around the high-performance sport at UCFB and GIS. It creates a great opportunity for aspiring players to combine training and playing full-time football alongside studying for an undergraduate degree”.
In order to enhance the programme, UCFB have formed partnerships with a number of semi-professional clubs in London, ranging from The National League to Counties level, placing players at the appropriate club and level for their current stage of development. Players will train at UCFB during the week and also play in the British University and Colleges League (BUCS) Wednesday League, before joining the appropriate team for training and fixtures at the weekend. Furthermore, the programme will be enhanced with fixtures arranged against professional and semi-professional teams in order to challenge and develop the footballers further.
Over the last three seasons, three players from our Manchester-based academy have signed professional contracts at clubs in the EFL Championship, EFL League Two and Segundo Davison in Spain. With careers in football coaching and scouting proving popular with our alumni, as well as more traditional business, sport management or leadership roles, the opportunities for academy graduates are endless.
Thanks to our partnerships with The Football Association, The National League, League Managers Association, Kick It Out and over 350 employment partners from the world of sport, our academy is a natural next step in UCFB’s vision to drive forward the sports industry together.
UCFB also offers an elite training academy for women at Wembley, and an alternative men’s academy at our Etihad Campus in Manchester.
To find out more about our Men's Football Academies, click here or email study@ucfb.com.
