Data

Football academy statistics 2026

Every number on this page is dated and sourced. Numbers marked "our data" come from our own club-by-club guides and are not published together anywhere else. You may quote them with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).

Updated 20 October 2026. For the US, see youth soccer in the US: the numbers. We update this page every three months. These figures describe groups of players. They do not predict any one child's chances.

Trials and entry: our club data

From our 112 academy guides: 85 English clubs and 27 MLS NEXT clubs, all checked in September 2026. MLS NEXT is the academy league of Major League Soccer.

17 of 112 academies (15%) offer an open trial route. The rest recruit by scouting and invitation only. (Our data)
In England, 8 of 85 (9%) offer one: Bradford, Burnley, Cheltenham, Fulham, Leeds, Northampton, Port Vale, Sheffield Utd. (Our data)
In MLS NEXT, 9 of 27 offer one: Austin FC, Inter Miami, Minnesota United, Revolution, NYCFC, Red Bulls, Timbers, RSL, St. Louis CITY. (Our data)
47 of 85 English clubs say scouting is a main way in. 18 of 85 also accept a referral from a grassroots coach. (Our data)
32 of 85 English clubs (38%) point families to a paid programme, such as a development centre, usually run by the club's charity. Joining one is not the same as joining the academy. (Our data)
69 of 85 English academies first register players at Under-9. (Our data)
MLS NEXT clubs start later. The most common first entry age is U13 (15 of 27 clubs). (Our data)
Our English set covers 22 Premier League, 21 Championship and 21 League One clubs. (Our data)
By academy category, the rating that sets coaching hours and recruitment rules: 28 Category 1, 14 Category 2 and 28 Category 3. (Our data)
21 of 27 English clubs we have checked for girls' football run a girls' Professional Game Academy (PGA). (Our data)
Our 112 guides rest on 491 sources, mostly the clubs' own academy and FAQ pages. (Our data)

Rules that decide who can join

Players aged Under-9 to Under-11 must live within 1 hour of travel from the academy. (EPPP, the Premier League's youth development rules)
Players aged Under-12 to Under-16 must live within 90 minutes of travel. (EPPP)
Category 1 clubs must tell an Under-16 player about a scholarship by 31 December. (EPPP)

Check your own journey with the travel-time check.

How many academy players become professionals

16 in 100 recent graduates whose first academy was Category 1 made a league appearance. (Premier League Parent Hub)
9 in 100 recent graduates whose first academy was Category 2 made a league appearance. (Premier League Parent Hub)
5 in 100 recent graduates whose first academy was Category 3 made a league appearance. (Premier League Parent Hub)
3 in 100 Category 1 players play a single Premier League minute by age 26. (Premier League data reported by i, 2022)
Of 299 scholars followed from 16 to 26, 56 in 100 got a professional deal at 18, and 10 in 100 were still in professional football at 26. (Chris Platts, longitudinal study of a scholarship cohort)
700+ players are released at Under-16 each year in England. (No1Fan Club, citing published academy figures)

See the figures as 100 dots, by category, in the academy outcomes tool.

Age and development

44% of academy players in one ten-year study were born in the first three months of the selection year (Sep to Nov in England). A fair share would be 25%. (University of Essex, 2024)
In one Category 1 academy cohort of 293 players, late developers were 20 times less likely to be retained. (Johnson, Whiteley and Farooq)

See where your child's birthday falls with the birth quarter checker.

What clubs publish themselves

Charlton Athletic: 72 first-team graduates since 1998; 12 of 18 U16s offered scholarships in 2024. (i, June 2024)
Reading: 19 players from the trust's Elite tier into academy football in 2025. (Reading Chronicle, May 2026)
AFC Wimbledon: 17 development-centre players on extended academy trials, 3 accepted, 2022/23. (AFC Wimbledon Foundation)
Crystal Palace: 30+ players from the Palace for Life pathway into the academy. (Palace for Life Foundation via Football Parent)
Brentford: 114 players recruited and 54 full-time staff hired in the academy rebuild, 2022 to 2025. (BBC Sport, May 2025)
Philadelphia Union: 29 homegrown players to the first team, 10 more to Union II. (Philadelphia Union)
Arsenal: Most recent first-team graduates started at U9 in the first Hale End intake. (Per Mertesacker, Arsenal.com, Dec 2025)

How to cite

Academy Parent, Football academy statistics 2026, academyparent.com/data/football-academy-statistics/, updated 20 October 2026. Every club figure links back to a club guide in our UK and MLS academy lists.

Found a number that is out of date? Email hello@academyparent.com with the line and the source.