Aston Villa academy: how to join, Brookvale and trials
Bodymoor Heath, and Brookvale Inner-City Academy · Bodymoor Heath, Warwickshire, and Perry Barr, Birmingham · Checked 6 September 2026
The Aston Villa academy has no open trials. Boys are first registered at Under-9, after scouting, and the academy trains at Bodymoor Heath and at the Brookvale inner-city site in Perry Barr. The main route in Birmingham is school football: Villa is the principal partner of Birmingham Primary Schools' FA, so academy staff watch district football across the city's seven districts every week, and district fixtures are played at Brookvale. Under the academy sit a Pre-Academy for Under-7s and Under-8s, unsigned but coached to be registered at Under-9, and Emerging Talent Centres for players the club calls on the fringes, monitored weekly.
Got a trial or a scout’s invitation? How to prepare your child →Practise decisions before the trial: free Look First game →
How recruitment works
Identified at district or grassroots level, then Pre-Academy or an Emerging Talent Centre, then registration at Under-9 or a trial at older ages.
- 01District football through Birmingham Primary Schools' FA
Villa's academy staff scout and coach district players across more than 300 primary schools. District boys' fixtures are hosted at Brookvale, so being selected for your district team puts a child in front of recruitment staff weekly.
Official page ↗ - 02Pre-Academy, Under-7 and Under-8
High-level coaching for unsigned players with the aim of registering the best at Under-9. Run across Bodymoor Heath and Brookvale by the academy's talent ID department.
Official page ↗ - 03Emerging Talent Centres
Weekly sessions for players on the edge of the academy. The club's stated aim is to identify and access a wider pool and to monitor and develop them over time. Invitation only.
- 04Aston Villa Foundation coaching
Paid programmes for ages 2 to 16 across Birmingham: holiday soccer schools, term-time coaching centres, girls-only coaching centres for ages 8 to 12 and goalkeeper centres. Anyone can book. They are coaching, not trials, though Foundation coaches can flag players.
Official page ↗
Got a trial invite?
What scouts watch, what to bring, what to ask. £19 ($25)
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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.
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Brookvale and Bodymoor Heath: where the Aston Villa academy trains
The academy uses two sites. Bodymoor Heath is the first-team training ground, north of Birmingham near Tamworth. Brookvale is the Inner-City Academy in Perry Barr, close to Villa Park. Pre-Academy sessions and Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA district fixtures are held at Brookvale, and the youngest girls’ academy groups train there.
The club’s own Girls Academy page says Foundation Phase girls (ages 8 to 11) train on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18:00 to 20:00 at the Aston Villa Inner City Facility. It says home matches for the Youth Development Phase (ages 12 to 16) are played at Bodymoor Heath.
The Aston Villa Foundation also runs community sessions at Brookvale. Being there for a Foundation session is not an academy trial. Ask which site your child would train at, because the travel time is very different.
Source: Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA, Aston Villa partnership ↗
Aston Villa academy age groups and phases
Boys’ academy registration starts at Under-9. The Pre-Academy for Under-7s and Under-8s sits below it and is unsigned.
For girls, the club’s Girls Academy page lists eight age groups: U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U16 and U21. The Foundation Phase covers ages 8 to 11 and the Youth Development Phase covers ages 12 to 16. The U21s sit in the Professional Development Phase. The page says the Girls Academy has an Emerging Talent Centre, a Club Pathway and a Professional Game Academy.
Source: Aston Villa, Girls Academy ↗
How to join the Aston Villa academy
Villa has no open trial. The main route in Birmingham is district school football through the Birmingham Primary Schools’ FA, where academy staff scout and coach players across more than 300 primary schools. The Pre-Academy is for unsigned Under-7 and Under-8 players, by invitation after scouting. The best are registered at Under-9.
Emerging Talent Centres give weekly sessions to players on the edge of the academy, by invitation. Foundation soccer schools are paid coaching courses and are not trials.
Source: Aston Villa careers, Pre-Academy and Emerging Talent Centre coaches ↗
Aston Villa girls academy trials 2026/27
Girls fill in the expression of interest form on the club’s Girls Academy page. There are separate forms for the Foundation Phase (ages 8 to 11), the Youth Development Phase (ages 12 to 16) and goalkeepers. Players aged 16 or over use the Under-21 form.
Filling in a form does not confirm a trial. Girls’ information checked 5 October 2026.
Source: Aston Villa, Girls Academy ↗
- Birmingham, all seven school districts
- Solihull, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield
- Wider West Midlands, and Villa has recruited from West Brom's area
- EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
- Ask whether it is Pre-Academy, an Emerging Talent Centre, or the academy. Villa runs all three under one department.
- Get your child into district trials at school. In Birmingham that is the most watched route into Villa.
- Check the travel rule to Bodymoor Heath, which is north of the city near Tamworth. One hour at U9 to U11.
- Ask which site your child would train at. Brookvale is in the city, Bodymoor Heath is not.
Aston Villa girls academy trials 2026/27
Girls' academies are licensed by the FA, not the Premier League. How the girls' pathway works.
Aston Villa is listed in the FA's Professional Game Academy directory. The FA also lists Aston Villa Women as an Emerging Talent Centre provider. Use the centre contact to ask about younger age groups and assessments. Girls' information checked 5 October 2026.
Use the FA's Professional Game Academy directory to contact this club. Ask which age groups it currently recruits and whether it is accepting trial enquiries. A directory listing does not mean trials are open.
Official page ↗The FA lists this club or its Foundation in its centre directory. Ask the listed contact about ages, assessments and available places. Centre attendance can run alongside grassroots football.
Official page ↗What to check before you agree
What parents ask about Aston Villa
What is Brookvale?
Brookvale is Aston Villa's Inner-City Academy site in north Birmingham, close to Villa Park. Pre-Academy sessions and Birmingham Primary Schools' FA district fixtures are held there, and the youngest girls' academy groups train there. The Aston Villa Foundation also runs community sessions on the site. Being at Brookvale for a Foundation session is not an academy trial.
Where does the Aston Villa academy train?
At two sites. Bodymoor Heath is the first-team training ground, north of Birmingham near Tamworth. Brookvale, the Inner-City Academy, is in the city near Villa Park. Ask which site your child would train at, because the travel time is very different.
Does Aston Villa have a pre-academy?
Yes. The Pre-Academy is for Under-7 and Under-8 players who are not yet signed. The best are registered at Under-9, when academy registration starts. Entry is by invitation after scouting, often through district school football.
How do girls join the Aston Villa academy?
Fill in the expression of interest form on the club's Girls Academy page. There are separate forms for the Foundation Phase (ages 8 to 11), the Youth Development Phase (ages 12 to 16) and goalkeepers. Players aged 16 or over use the Under-21 form.
Do Aston Villa soccer schools lead to the academy?
They are paid coaching courses run by the Aston Villa Foundation for ages 2 to 16, and anyone can book. They are not trials. The academy's main route in Birmingham is district school football through the Birmingham Primary Schools' FA.
Is Brothers Aston Villa the same club as Aston Villa?
No. Brothers Aston Villa is a separate grassroots club. Trials for its own teams are not trials for the Aston Villa academy.
- Birmingham Primary Schools' FA, Aston Villa partnership ↗
- Aston Villa careers, Pre-Academy and Emerging Talent Centre coaches ↗
- Aston Villa, Girls Academy (age groups, training, expressions of interest) ↗
- Aston Villa Foundation, Football Development programmes ↗
- The Athletic, How talent drive aided Villa's academy overhaul, Sep 2020 ↗
- Premier League Youth Development Rules (travel limits, registration) ↗
- Girls' pathway: official programme or FA directory, checked 5 October 2026 ↗
- Girls' pathway: official programme or FA directory, checked 5 October 2026 ↗
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Updated 21 October 2026. Last verified 6 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us so we can check the page.