Academy News

“It’s just a nice experience. It doesn’t feel like I’m away from home.”

The first I heard from Elijah, aged 16 years who is French, living in Nairobi, Kenya, was when he emailed the office to ask for more information about the IHM Football Academy football boarding school programmes. I was impressed. He wrote coherently and intelligently...

“It’s about development. Every single day.”

"Ellesmere College is great. It's about development every single day. Every day counts. It's all about team work." Glenn is from Ghana and has been a student at Ellesmere College since September 2018. He has also been a member of the IHM Football Academy there since...

“Pretty Awesome, I enjoyed every moment!”

Francisco is 22 years old and comes from Argentina. He has just completed his 4 week English + football coaching programme at IHM Football Academy. So, his daily routine involved him taking English lessons in the international classes at IH Manchester every morning...

“I’ve trained with the first team at Airbus, which was good” Will’s Story…

6th form student Will has been with the IHM Football Academy at Ellesmere College since September 2017. During this time he has made notable progress. Most importantly, Will has worked hard and taken every opportunity that training with the IHM Football Academy has...

Meet Saranga, Player of the Month for January 2019

Head Coach Chris Morrell at IHM Football Academy at Ellesmere College proudly presents the January Player of the Month award to Saranga, aged 17 years. This is a fantastic achievement for a player as it is voted on by all his team mates. Saranga has really stood out...

IHM Ellesmere Academy v Shrewsbury Town u14s (2-1)

Match report by Head Coach Chris Morrell January 17th saw the first game of the New Year when the Academy welcomed Shrewsbury Town’s U14 team. It was a chance for the lads who had not played in the recent school fixtures to have a game against a Football League One...

How to get spotted as young player

It's incredibly frustrating when you know that you are a good player, but you can't seem to get that lucky break. Your coach tells you, your dad tells you, even your team mates say it; "You're a great player. You could go far." Sure, but how? Luck. You can be lucky....

Three IHM Football Academy Players Get Great Trial Opportunities

IHM Football Academy are very proud to announce that three of the full-time squad will get excellent opportunities to show case their skills this week. Marcell, a talented goalkeeper aged 17 years, from Hungary, impressed Paul MacGuire whilst playing for Manchester...

Marcell continues to impress the coaching staff at IHM

Meet Marcell, age 17 years, from Hungary. He's a goalkeeper and has made quite an impact since joining IHM Football Academy in September 2018. I was contacted by Marcel's father in summer last year. We began to discuss the best options to enable Marcell to reach his...

Marcelus from Washington DC, USA Makes His Mark

What struck me most about Marcelus and what I want to make clear to any other young player out there reading this now, is the power of making a good impression. The attitude that Marcelus displayed in school and on the pitch that same day left a powerful impression on all of us, staff, players, students and coach. and that means he has already been noticed for the best reasons.

David Lowe – Guest Coach/Speaker

David Lowe, the head coach at Championship side Blackburn Rovers Football club, visited the academy last week to share his experience, talk to the players and lead them in a session at our new training facility. David’s career began at Northwest side Wigan athletic,...

Dave Bailey – Guest Speaker

Manchester United Football Scout Puts Players Through Their Paces The IH Manchester Football Academy students at Ellesmere college welcomed David Bailey, Manchester United Assistant Lead Phase Scout, to chat about what clubs look for in emerging talent followed by a...

Preparing for a showcase event / football trial – part 1 nutrition

Peter Hayes, Director of IH Manchester Football Academy shares important advice about preparing yourself for a Showcase event / football trial / match day. Peter explains: "Hi there everybody, this is Pete from IH Manchester Football Academy and I just wanted to bring...

More Success! Will training with Crewe Alexandra FC

Following the showcase event a few weeks ago Will Brookshaw has been invited to train with the academy at Crewe Alexandra Football Club. Will who is 14 and one of the goal keepers at the academy will now train and be assessed by the Crewe Coaching staff and pit...

IH Manchester Football Academy at Ellesmere College Hosts Showcase Day

The footballers of tomorrow were on display this week as scouts came to Ellesmere College for a special showcase event. The event, hosted at the college through its partnership with IH Manchester, a private footballing academy, saw more than 50 players put through...

Another Guest Session From A Current Pro Player!

This week saw another pro player come into the academy at Manchester to share his experience and knowledge with the young players. Brian Wilson, currently a first team player at league one side Oldham Athletic, visited the academy to lead the boys in a series of...

Academy team visits St George’s Park

This week the academy players visited the training ground of the England football team St George’s Park. Academy players were warmly welcomed by the staff and given an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the impressive £105 million, 330 acres training facility. St....

Michel’s Football & Academic Success

Michel Bou Farah studies and trained with the IH Manchester international Academy during the 2014/2015 & 2015/2016. A dedicated player and student Michel was always one to work hard and try to improve by that small percentage each week, his aim was to make a...

Premier League Ace Frank Sinclair Visits Academy

Former Premier League defender who has worked under the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Martin O’Neill, Gianluca Vialli and Ruud Gullit visited our academy at Ellesmere College to oversee training and pass on his experiences to academy players. Frank Sinclair, who helped...

Ex Manchester United super star Dwight Yorke with IH Manchester football academy players!

Here at the football Academy we are always trying to teach our players that you just never know who is watching, whatever the session or game. This week the boys have a great opportunity to train at one of Manchester United’s famous training grounds, the Cliff. The...