Boarding School Football Programme

Ellesmere College has long been associated with sporting excellence. The football academy, delivered by IH Manchester, employs a full-time UEFA qualified coach. The academy offers year long programmes for students aged 11 to 18 and combines academic learning with professional football training.

Year Round Football Development

The Ellesmere Football season is structured as follows:

September to April:

    • 11-aside competitive league match play
    • Guest coaching sessions by visiting professional football club coaches
    • “Train-and-play” visits to local professional clubs
    • Coaching sessions by prominent professional players via the Professional Footballers Association coach development programme

October and May:

    • Open Football Trials to show case talent in front of professional scouts

May to July:

  • Tournament preparation and participation in extended professional club trials (for those selected).
  • Each term of football coaching is focused on developing both team and individual goals.

Those that attend the Football Academy experience:

  • First class facilities
  • High level professional football coaching – Regular structured training sessions
  • Regular competitive football match play
  • Academic and pastoral support
  • Talent identification in front of scouts, pro-club coaches and academy staff
  • Pathways to football related professions via Higher Education

Stages of Development

Lower School (aged 11 – 13)

Players will concentrate upon individual skill development and ball skills’ mastery. During this time some fitness work will be introduced and an help to understanding the importance of team shape. Gym and strength work will be limited in this period and any core strength work programmes set dependent upon the physical maturity of each player.

Middle School (aged 13 – 16)

A player’s technical ability, during a match situation, will be developed. Phases of play and in depth sessions will focus on match play and will be the focal point of all training. An increased fitness programme will begin towards the end of middle school with a core stability programme set out. Target fixtures and match analysis will become important in this phase.

Sixth Form (16+)

Fitness, strength and stamina will be key in this phase, with a set fitness programme compulsory for all players. Coaching sessions will be focused on team and game improvement, looking at achievement on the field in competition. The coaching programme and analysis will become more intensive during this phase. Competition for squad places will also feature.

First Class Education

The School enjoys outstanding inspection reports from bodies such as the Independent Schools Inspectorate and OFSTED, the most recent of which can be found on the School website. Academic results are excellent. Ellesmere offers the International Baccalaureate Programme alongside A Levels in the Sixth Form, and the average score for the International Baccalaureate is in a range equivalent to A★, A★, A★ at A Level. In overall terms the School’s Sixth Form leavers average the equivalent in A Level grades of A, B, B. Recently one of the school’s International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates achieved 45 points (the top mark), formally equivalent to 6 ½ A grades at A Level, and was one of only 100 candidates in the world to achieve that level. Given that the School continues to require only 5 GCSEs at grade C to enter the Sixth Form, the results are quite exceptional.

The Environment

Ellesmere College is aware that football is not the only factor when considering to join the School. The academic timetable is carefully constructed to allow those pupils with sporting interests to be able to balance studies with training commitments. There is careful monitoring of academic performance to ensure the player is coping with the demand of both academia and sports.

Boarding at Ellesmere

The boarding houses within Ellesmere are tailored to meet the needs of children from the age of eight upwards. All of the Housemasters and Housemistresses are provided with information on the specific needs of each student.

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