How do players get into the AFC Bournemouth academy?

Scouted across Dorset and Hampshire: Recruitment is split by age band: a U7-U10 recruitment officer, a U11-U14 coordinator overseeing the Junior Training Centre programme, and a head of recruitment for U15 to U21. The club notes its catchment is naturally smaller than most, with the sea on one side. Pre-academy Talent ID day, U6: An occasional free identification event for the youngest age group, run in partnership with a local grassroots club and advertised on social media rather than the main club website. A recent example: an Under-6 Talent ID event for boys born Sept 2018 to Aug 2019, applied for via an online form.

What should parents do if a AFC Bournemouth scout makes contact?

Ask which age band the scout works in. U7 to U10, U11 to U14 and U15 up have different people and different processes. Check the travel rule from your home to Canford Magna: one hour at U9 to U11, ninety minutes at U12 to U16. Expect a long look. The academy has said its local pool is small, so it watches players over months rather than rushing a trial. Keep your grassroots club. A trial period runs alongside it, not instead of it.

Category 2Premier LeagueU9 to U21

Does AFC Bournemouth run academy trials?

Canford Magna Training Complex · Canford Magna, near Wimborne, Dorset · Checked 7 September 2026

NoTrial information

No open trials at the academy. Bournemouth recruits by scouting, with staff split by age: a recruitment officer for U7 to U10, a coordinator for U11 to U14 who also runs the Junior Training Centre, and a head of recruitment from U15. Now and then an affiliated grassroots club runs a free pre-academy identification day for the youngest ages, announced on social media rather than the club site. Category 2 since 2023, and the academy says out loud that it wants Category 1.

Got a trial or a scout’s invitation? How to prepare your child →

Practise decisions before the trial: free Look First game →

Category2, since 2023 (aiming for Category 1)

First entryU9, with pre-academy identification from U6

Open trialsNone standing; occasional partner-run identification days

New training groundCanford Magna, still being developed

BaseCanford Magna, near Wimborne

Recruitment and training programmes

How recruitment works

Scouted by age-banded recruitment staff; occasional free identification days for the very youngest age groups via grassroots partners.

01
Scouted
Scouted across Dorset and Hampshire
Recruitment is split by age band: a U7-U10 recruitment officer, a U11-U14 coordinator overseeing the Junior Training Centre programme, and a head of recruitment for U15 to U21. The club notes its catchment is naturally smaller than most, with the sea on one side.
02
ReferralFree
Pre-academy Talent ID day, U6
An occasional free identification event for the youngest age group, run in partnership with a local grassroots club and advertised on social media rather than the main club website. A recent example: an Under-6 Talent ID event for boys born Sept 2018 to Aug 2019, applied for via an online form.
Official page ↗

What to bring to an academy trial

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Boots for the surface (grass = FG, firm ground; 3G or astro = AG, artificial grass), shin pads, a ball, a named water bottle and plain kit (no rival club shirts). Check the club’s trial email first.

Bootsadidas F50 Club kids bootsMost trials are on grass or 3G. These grip on both, so your child can turn and stop without slipping.See price on Amazon Shin padsMitre Aircell shin padsMost clubs will not let a child train without shin pads. The ankle sock keeps them in place.See price on Amazon BallMitre Impel footballA few touches before the session helps nerves. Size 4 for most 8–11s, size 5 from about 12.See price on Amazon

Which ball size? See our size guide.

We have not tested these products. Check size, price and delivery on Amazon before you buy.

Where scouts watch

Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch
Wider Dorset and the New Forest
South Hampshire and Wiltshire
EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16

If a scout calls

Ask which age band the scout works in. U7 to U10, U11 to U14 and U15 up have different people and different processes.
Check the travel rule from your home to Canford Magna: one hour at U9 to U11, ninety minutes at U12 to U16.
Expect a long look. The academy has said its local pool is small, so it watches players over months rather than rushing a trial.
Keep your grassroots club. A trial period runs alongside it, not instead of it.

Watch out

What to check before you agree

An identification day run by a partner grassroots club is that club's event. Check who is organising before you hand over details, and expect nothing from the academy until a scout has watched more than once.

The Junior Training Centre is the academy's own pre-registration programme for U11 to U14, and it is free. Anything with a fee and the cherries on it is a soccer school.

The catchment is small because half of it is sea. Third-party trial companies use that scarcity to sell "Bournemouth trials" in Southampton and Poole. The club does not sell trials.

Sources

Compare every club: football trials UK 2026, by club, age and region.

Updated 17 October 2026. Last verified 7 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us so we can check the page.

Nearby

Other nearby academies

Category 1

Southampton

Marchwood, Hampshire · U9 to U21

No open trials

Read the club guide →

Category 1

Reading

Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire · U9 to U21

No open trials

Read the club guide →

Category 1

Brighton & Hove Albion

Lancing, West Sussex · U9 to U21

No open trials

Read the club guide →

How recruitment works

What to bring to an academy trial

What to check before you agree

Other nearby academies

Southampton

Reading

Brighton & Hove Albion

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