The Football Association (FA), the governing body of English football, has made the following
recommendations regarding the Football Academy program, which targets the top young
players in England and is run as a mandatory developmental arm of the top professional league
in England (the English Premier League –EPL):
* Players aged 12 to 18 should play a maximum of 30 games per year with their club.
* No 11-a-side soccer until age 12.
* The level of competition should be compatible with the player's colleagues and opposition.
(e.g., Not so difficult that success is not an option, and not so easy that the players become
unmotivated.)
* Clubs and coaches should take care that players: Play alongside, and against, boys of a
comparable standard, enabling them to put into practice skills learned during the week in an
environment where they will be stretched.
* Play in a competitive environment where quality of performance is more important than
results.
* The facilities (field size, ball, etc.) and match officials should also be compatible with the
player's ability.
* The atmosphere surrounding this program should emphasize the role of matches as part of a
development program in which the result is not of primary importance. The coaching staff
should use the match program to reinforce the key aspects of the player's individual technical
development.
* The number of games per season must be limited to a maximum of 30 and as the number of
games will be limited to 30, it is important that none of them are wasted.
recommendations regarding the Football Academy program, which targets the top young
players in England and is run as a mandatory developmental arm of the top professional league
in England (the English Premier League –EPL):
* Players aged 12 to 18 should play a maximum of 30 games per year with their club.
* No 11-a-side soccer until age 12.
* The level of competition should be compatible with the player's colleagues and opposition.
(e.g., Not so difficult that success is not an option, and not so easy that the players become
unmotivated.)
* Clubs and coaches should take care that players: Play alongside, and against, boys of a
comparable standard, enabling them to put into practice skills learned during the week in an
environment where they will be stretched.
* Play in a competitive environment where quality of performance is more important than
results.
* The facilities (field size, ball, etc.) and match officials should also be compatible with the
player's ability.
* The atmosphere surrounding this program should emphasize the role of matches as part of a
development program in which the result is not of primary importance. The coaching staff
should use the match program to reinforce the key aspects of the player's individual technical
development.
* The number of games per season must be limited to a maximum of 30 and as the number of
games will be limited to 30, it is important that none of them are wasted.