Southampton FC Development Centre / Academy

Attending Premier Soccer Centres, possibly the first step to becoming a professional footballer!

The Saints Development Centre is held at John Mason Abingdon, on Monday evenings from 4-6pm. A boy attends by invitation only, and is for the under- 8 and the under-9 age groups. The following are two ways in which they can be recommended.

•  Premier Soccer Centre coaches are on the lookout for boys with that 'little extra' ability. At the Centres, coaches continually monitor players progress and any boy who they think reaches Development standard is invited for trial.

At the Centre the boys' technical skills will be worked on, as well as a greater understanding of different situations within the game, ie, attacking play and defensive duties. The players who regularly perform to a high standard at the Centre are then recommended for Southampton 's very successful Academy. Trials for this take place on a regular basis, mainly at the club's training ground. Their facilities are some of the best in the country, with the fantastic indoor area (The Dome) taking centre stage.

The Academy has teams starting from under 9, leading up to under-17 and under-19 youth teams. They train at least twice a week and play against other Academy teams every weekend, including Premiership Champions Chelsea and Arsenal during the football season.

Currently there are 20 boys attending the centre, all coming from the various courses run by Premier Soccer Centres.