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Category 1Premier LeagueU9 to U21

Does Arsenal run academy trials?

Hale End (U9 to U16), London Colney (U18 to U21) · Walthamstow, north-east London

NoStraight answer

No. Arsenal does not run open trials or a public development centre. Every player at Hale End was scouted first, usually at a grassroots or school match, then invited in for a trial period of around eight weeks. The first formal entry point is Under-9, and the club says most of its recent first-team graduates started there.

Category1
First entryU9
Trial length~8 weeks
Scholarship decisionBy 31 Dec, U16 year
Open trialsNone
Development centreNone public
The real routes in

3 ways players actually get in.

Roughly eight weeks training with the age group, then a registration decision.

  1. 01
    Scouted
    Be seen at a grassroots or school match

    Arsenal runs a pre-academy scouting network across its catchment. Scouts attend junior league fixtures, tournaments and school games. Staff are told to report any player who catches their eye, even at recreational games.

  2. 02
    Referral
    Coach or club referral

    Grassroots coaches can put a player forward. A scout then watches the player at a normal fixture before any approach is made to the parents.

  3. 03
    Official route
    Trial period, not a trial day

    An invited player trains with the age group for roughly eight weeks alongside registered players before a decision on registration.

  4. 04
    Commercial, not a routePaid
    Arsenal Soccer Schools camps

    Commercial holiday camps for ages 9 to 17. Good coaching, but the club is clear that camps are not a route into the academy and carry no trial guarantee.

    Official page ↗
Where scouts watch
  • North and east London
  • Hertfordshire
  • Essex borders
  • EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
If a scout calls
  1. Ask which age group and which phase. Under-9 to Under-11 is the Foundation Phase and registrations run one year at a time.
  2. Check the travel rule before anything else. If you live more than an hour away at U9 to U11 the registration cannot happen.
  3. Ask for the trial length and what happens at the end. Eight weeks is normal at Arsenal.
  4. Keep grassroots football going until a registration is signed. Nothing is agreed until the form is.
Watch out

Three things parents get sold.

Anyone selling an 'Arsenal trial' is not Arsenal. Trials are by invitation only.
Being told your child is 'on the radar' is not an invitation. Ask for a date and an age group.
Hale End and London Colney are different sites. Under-16s who are not offered a scholarship leave the club.
Sources

Last verified 5 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will re-check within a week.

Nearby

Other academies in reach.

Category 1

Brentford

Osterley, west London · U9 to U21 and B team

No open trials · 4 real routes in

See the pathway →
Category 1

Chelsea

Cobham, Surrey · U9 to U21

No open trials · 4 real routes in

See the pathway →
Category 1

Crystal Palace

Beckenham, south London · U9 to U21

No open trials · 4 real routes in

See the pathway →
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