How To Join A Football Academy In South Africa

Why should you join a football academy?

Football academies offer training programs to develop young football talent. In South Africa, several soccer academies nurture young footballers. Some of these academies are ran by senior football clubs,

South Africa also has several independent football academies. They provide a pathway for people seeking to become professional footballers.

South African football schools give professional coaching and training. The training entails strength and conditioning, nutrition and fitness, individual skills and techniques, and team training.

As an academy player , you can expect to play a lot of soccer games. These can include scrimmage during training sessions and friendlies with other academies and youth teams.

How do I register for a football academy in South Africa?

If you are passionate about joining a soccer academy in South Africa, there are many alternatives you can consider. The first is to directly contact the academy you’re interested in and request to join.

You can find many academies in South Africa that offer regular intakes for new players. Some even have an online football academy registration form that you can fill out to start your journey as a youth player.

Another option for joining a soccer academy is to attend football trials in South Africa. Most academies hold regular open trials.

How much does it cost to join a football academy?

The fees charged can vary from one academy to the other. Often most academies will charge a membership fee for new players. This can range from 300 Rand ($16) to 500 Rand ($27) – or higher or lower depending on the academy.

Besides the membership (registration fees), academies can also charge for the price of football kits, coaching, and other services.

For instance, the BSI football academy charges 110,000 Rands (approx. $5,985) per year for its youth football development program.

Can you join a football academy for free in South Africa?

There are some football academies in South Africa that are free to join. Mostly, these are NGO-operated academies. However, joining prominent academies for free is also possible, because some of them come with scholarships.

What are the requirements for joining an academy in South Africa?

Apart from the registration fees, most academies come with requirements you must meet before joining. These can include:

1. A passion for football and good technical ability

Most academies accept young talents based on their technical skills, with a higher level of skills required in elite youth programs. Apart from that, you need to have a passion for football.

2. Physical fitness

Football is physically demanding. This is why academies require players to be physically fit. Like with skills, elite academies can have stricter fitness requirements.

3. Medical requirements

Most soccer academies require you to be medically fit. This is to make sure that you are safe during training and when playing matches. Some academies might require you to pass a medical examination first.

4. Age requirements

Football academies focus mostly on youth players and thus have age limitations.

In South Africa, soccer academies have programs for players from nine years (and below) to 21 years. However, the age requirements might differ from one academy to the other.

What is the best age to join a football academy?

As long as you meet the age requirements, you can join a football academy at any age. However, if you want to become a professional player, you need to join early to increase your chances as young players have more advantages than their older counterparts.

For instance, Lionel Messi, one of the most seasoned footballers in the world, joined an academy when he was six years old.

However, the commonest age for joining an academy is around the ages of 13 to 15 years. This is when most people develop an interest in and passion for football. It’s also when youths start growing more rapidly – physically and skill-wise.