If you want to launch a professional career playing quality football, you have to join an academy like Arsenal Academy where you will learn what it takes from pros. Arsenal Academy is good. You don’t even pay to join. However, it’s not that easy to get picked. But don’t worry, this guide is a host of methods and tips that will help you join Arsenal Academy as a youngster.
What age can you join Arsenal Academy?
From age 5 to 17, you can join the Arsenal Academy. Arsenal’s youth system also extends to U23, where you could still be admitted if you have the skills. You can be picked at a maximum age of 23 for the youth system, but you have to be very good for Arsenal to consider you because, at this age, you are already eligible to sign a professional contract. Arsenal academy age groups are between 6 and 23.
Let’s see how you can join this academy. But first, players who are not UK, EEA, EU, or Swiss citizens need to apply for a visa into the UK to be eligible.
How to Join Arsenal Academy from Nigeria
1. Participate in Arsenal Events, Open Trials, and Camps
For someone who wants to join the Arsenal Academy, you should be following Arsenal’s social media pages and bookmarking their website! The club posts event news, camps, and open trials calling interested youths to participate for a chance to join the academy if they put in quality performance.
Arsenal, like other Premier League clubs, hosts open trials and training camps where players are given the Arsenal Academy trials application form to fill out and participate. For example, in 2024/2025, we have the Arsenal Ball Squad Trials. You can apply for the 2024/2025 Ball Squad Trials. Arsenal is recruiting motivated and committed Junior Gunners to be part of their elite ball squad, starting in 2024! Players have to be aged 12-16 in Season 2024/2025 to be eligible. Access the Arsenal Academy trials application form 2024/2025 at https://arsenalacademy.co.uk/academy.
Trials like this take place on Saturdays at Emirates Stadium where participants will tested on their throwing and catching ability, teamwork, leadership, discipline, etc. If your performance is impressive, you will be monitored closely throughout the event and subsequently given an offer to join Arsenal. This is why you should follow Arsenal’s website and social media pages where this information is published whenever such events are available.
We also have Arsenal Soccer Camps for those in America where young players between the ages of 7 and 14 are trained the Arsenal way. And if a player is good enough, they are considered for the Academy. It doesn’t even matter where you are in the world. These trial sessions are necessary and a much faster way to join the academy.
2. Play Well and Get Scouted
If you have been looking for the Arsenal Academy email contact on their website or social media pages, don’t even both to send anything to that email because the club won’t reply. Your message will end up among other thousands of emails they receive every day. To join the Arsenal Academy, you need to enter a stage of football where you will be seen by Arsenal an scout, either locally or you move to the UK and join one of the smaller teams. Then focus on playing quality football and standing out during matches.
Again, simply sending an email to Arsenal claiming to be a very good football player won’t work. Not even your highlight videos will make it to the reviewers on the Arsenal management board. They receive many messages like this every day, and they consider it a time waster going through them one by one because many of them are spam emails. Instead, you need to impress their scouts with your performance on the field.
Arsenal scouts are among the best professionals in the business. They look for players with technical skills like ball control, passing accuracy, and ability to read the game. They also look at physical attributes such as speed, strength, and agility. But it’s not just about your skills on the field. Scouts also value players who show a positive attitude during games.
Try to stand out from the crowd and perform great. That way, the scout will write a recommendation about you. Arsenal scouts’ recommendations carry far more weight with the club than looking for attention through emails or other means of contact. So, just play well, participate in matches, and be patient. If you have the passion and talent, Arsenal scouts will find you.
3. Join the Best Local or Foreign Team You Can
The thing is that many other U17 and U21 players are playing to impress the scouts to join the Arsenal youth academy. But not many of them play in the right clubs that will give them visibility. This is why you should join the best team possible. It can be a local team! Or you move to a different foreign team where Arsenal scouts are more likely to find you.
If your current team is not good enough, but you are good enough, you have to start planning to leave. For a start, if you have the skill level to play for a Premier League youth academy, reach out to a nearby Conference or Conference South/North team and ask them for a trial or to practice with their team. It’s much easier for them to get back to you than Arsenal itself. These local teams have better visibility and are much easier pathways to join Arsenal directly from them.
When you are good enough, you might be invited to join their Youth Development team. Here, it’s up to you to make an impact and stand out. If you deliver quality football, there is a good chance that scouts from better teams will notice you and try to recruit you for their youth programs. It might not be Arsenal immediately, but it will be a big step forward.
You need more than just luck. But boost your chances by playing for the best team that wants you. The more matches and tournaments you participate in, the better your chances of standing out and attracting attention.
4. Make Yourself and Highlight Trend Online!
If you have the resources, use modern technology and the internet to make Arsenal youth system discover you more quickly. It’s simply by creating football video highlights showing your skills and sports achievements. You then have to promote this video through different channels to bring more visibility. You can then start emailing Academy recruiters directly. Don’t send emails to Arsenal because it won’t work. The only time we contact Arsenal is when filling out their online application forms for training camps and football trials. Outside these parameters, your email won’t be read.
So, contact these smaller academy recruiters with attached videos of your football highlights. The scouts are more likely to notice you faster, and it may lead to a personal meeting being scheduled concerning a tryout.
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How much does it cost to go to the Arsenal Football Academy?
It’s cost-free to join Arsenal Academy. You don’t pay the club, it’s the club that pays you. However, due to Premier League rules, academy players can only sign professional contracts on their 17th birthday.
Do Arsenal Academy players get paid?
Yes, Arsenal Academy players get paid. However, there is no professional contract until a player turns 17 years old.
Right now, it’s a smart decision to join the Arsenal Academy if you have what it takes. You will enjoy your experience and learn to play football the Arsenal way. If you eventually get scouted outside Europe, you will need to apply for a visa to join up with the team.
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