How do players get into the Chelsea academy?

Scouted into Future Blues: Scouts identify a player at grassroots, school or district football and monitor them for one month to six weeks. Selected players then get weekly assessments by coaches and scouts, scored against set criteria, before any recommendation. Self-nominate through aiScout: The one official way to put your own child forward. Download the app, complete the drills Chelsea sets, upload. AI scores the attempt, Chelsea staff review the profiles and may invite a player to an in-person trial. Free. Chelsea Soccer Schools development programme: Paid weekday-evening coaching in three tiers: Player Training Centre, Player Development Centre, Player Performance Centre. Trial sessions are bookable for school years 1 to 9. This is not the academy or pre-academy, though strong performers at the top tier can be looked at. Coach referral: A grassroots coach can contact the academy with a profile and fixture list. A scout may attend a match without telling anyone.

What should parents do if a Chelsea scout makes contact?

Ask which programme the invitation is for. Future Blues assessment, a Soccer Schools tier, or the academy itself are three different things. Cobham is the base. Work out the weekly drive before you say yes. The travel rule is one hour at U9 to U11. Ask how the scoring block works and when you will hear. Chelsea uses a set assessment period with an average score at the end. Stay registered at your grassroots club until the academy registration form is signed.

Category 1Premier LeagueU9 to U21

Does Chelsea run academy trials?

Cobham Training Centre · Cobham, Surrey · Checked 5 September 2026

NoTrial information

No open trials. But Chelsea has two real doors most parents do not know about. The academy runs a recruitment programme called Future Blues, where scouts watch a player for four to six weeks and then assess them weekly. And the club officially accepts self-nominations through the aiScout app, where your child records set drills on a phone and Chelsea scouts review the scores. Separately, Chelsea Soccer Schools runs a paid three-tier development programme that sits outside the academy.

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

Practise decisions before the trial: free Look First game →

Category1

First entryU9

Assessment4 to 6 weeks, then weekly

Self-nominationaiScout app

Open trialsNone

Paid tiersPTC, PDC, PPC

GirlsWSL academy, PGA Category 1

Recruitment and training programmes

How recruitment works

Four to six weeks of observation, then weekly scored assessments over a block. Not a single day.

01
Scouted
Scouted into Future Blues
Scouts identify a player at grassroots, school or district football and monitor them for one month to six weeks. Selected players then get weekly assessments by coaches and scouts, scored against set criteria, before any recommendation.
Official page ↗
02
Club programmeFree
Self-nominate through aiScout
The one official way to put your own child forward. Download the app, complete the drills Chelsea sets, upload. AI scores the attempt, Chelsea staff review the profiles and may invite a player to an in-person trial. Free.
03
Paid programmePaid, termly
Chelsea Soccer Schools development programme
Paid weekday-evening coaching in three tiers: Player Training Centre, Player Development Centre, Player Performance Centre. Trial sessions are bookable for school years 1 to 9. This is not the academy or pre-academy, though strong performers at the top tier can be looked at.
Official page ↗
04
Referral
Coach referral
A grassroots coach can contact the academy with a profile and fixture list. A scout may attend a match without telling anyone.

What to bring to an academy trial

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra.

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

South-west London
Surrey
Wider London for outstanding players
EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16

If a scout calls

Ask which programme the invitation is for. Future Blues assessment, a Soccer Schools tier, or the academy itself are three different things.
Cobham is the base. Work out the weekly drive before you say yes. The travel rule is one hour at U9 to U11.
Ask how the scoring block works and when you will hear. Chelsea uses a set assessment period with an average score at the end.
Stay registered at your grassroots club until the academy registration form is signed.

Girls' Professional Game Academy, Category 1

Chelsea girls academy trials 2026/27

Girls' academies are licensed by the FA, not the Premier League. How the girls' pathway works.

Chelsea is listed in the FA's Professional Game Academy directory. Girls' information checked 5 October 2026.

Club programme

Girls' academy contact

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 ↗

Club programme

Check girls' trial announcements

Chelsea says women's academy trial information is published only on its official website. It says it never requests payment or bank details for these trials. Check the club's notice before responding to an invitation.

Official page ↗

Club programmeFree

Girls' Emerging Talent Centre contact

Chelsea Women are listed in the FA centre directory. Contact the listed women's talent identification team to ask about age groups and assessments.

Official page ↗

Club page ↗

Watch out

What to check before you agree

A Soccer Schools place is a paid coaching product. It is not an academy place and the club says so.

Third parties selling 'Chelsea trials' are not connected to Chelsea. The only self-entry route is aiScout.

A strong aiScout score gets a review, not a trial. Most uploads do not lead anywhere, by design.

Sources

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

Updated 17 October 2026. Last verified 5 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us so we can check the page.

Also see: Arsenal development centre trials · Crystal Palace academy trials

Nearby

Other nearby academies

Category 1

Fulham

New Malden, south-west London · U9 to U21

Runs open trials

Read the club guide →

Category 2

Queens Park Rangers

Heston, west London · U9 to U21

No open trials

Read the club guide →

Category 1

Brentford

Osterley, west London · U9 to U21 and B team

No open trials

Read the club guide →

How recruitment works

What to bring to an academy trial

Chelsea girls academy trials 2026/27

What to check before you agree

Other nearby academies

Fulham

Queens Park Rangers

Brentford

Weekly advice for football parents