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Category 1Premier LeagueU9 to U21

Does Leeds United run academy trials?

Thorp Arch Training Ground · Thorp Arch, near Wetherby

YesStraight answer

Yes, more than most, but read the small print. The Leeds United Foundation, the club's charity, sells open trials at £20 a session for boys from Under-6 to Under-14 at venues around Leeds, and says they can lead to the academy or its foundation centres. The academy itself runs free Showcase Events for Under-5 to Under-12 within about an hour of Thorp Arch, plus Regional Showcases for Under-12s in May and the odd specialist event. The free ones are the club speaking; the £20 ones are the charity.

Category1, since 2020
First entryU9
ShowcasesU5 to U12, free
Foundation trialsU6 to U14, £20
Travel1 hour for most events
BaseThorp Arch, LS23 7BA
The real routes in

3 ways players actually get in.

Publicly bookable Foundation trials (paid) and Academy showcase events (free), plus ordinary scouting from grassroots and school football.

  1. 01
    Paid programme£20 plus booking fee
    Leeds United Foundation open trials

    Paid open trial days for boys Under-6 to Under-14, held at venues such as Leeds Grammar School and Dixons Chapeltown, several times through the year. Players cannot be registered at another professional academy. Booked online, £20 plus a booking fee.

    Official page ↗
  2. 02
    Official routeFree
    Academy Showcase Events, U5 to U12

    Free showcase sessions run directly by the Academy (not the Foundation) across Yorkshire, recent locations include Bradford, Barnsley and Huddersfield, for current U5 to U12 players living within about an hour of Thorp Arch, LS23 7BA.

    Official page ↗
  3. 03
    Official route
    Specialist and age-group Showcase Events

    The academy also runs targeted showcases, for example an Under-14 goalkeeper showcase at Thorp Arch in February 2026, open to players within 90 minutes who are not registered elsewhere. Watch club news for age and position-specific events through the season.

    Official page ↗
Where scouts watch
  • Leeds, Wetherby and West Yorkshire
  • Bradford, Huddersfield and Barnsley
  • Wider Yorkshire and the North East
  • EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
If a scout calls
  1. Ask which body invited you. The Foundation trial is a charity event with a fee. An Academy Showcase is free and run by academy staff. Only the second can end in a registration.
  2. Check the travel rule for the event. Most showcases ask for players within an hour of Thorp Arch, LS23 7BA, some within ninety minutes.
  3. Your child cannot attend if registered with another professional academy. Say so up front; it is checked.
  4. Dates appear on the club news site through the season, not in one annual window. A missed one is not a missed year.
Watch out

Three things parents get sold.

A £20 Foundation trial is a coaching event with a fee. It is not an academy trial, whatever the booking page implies. Academy Showcases cost nothing.
The words "Academy system and foundation centres" on the Foundation booking page cover two very different outcomes. Ask which one your child is being considered for.
Showcase places are limited per age group. Third-party companies sell "Leeds trials" too. If it is not on leedsunited.com or the Foundation's own booking site, it is not the club.
Sources

Last verified 7 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will re-check within a week.

Nearby

Other academies in reach.

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Burnley

Padiham, Lancashire · U9 to U21

Runs open trials · 4 real routes in

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Manchester City

East Manchester · U9 to U21

No open trials · 4 real routes in

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Manchester United

Carrington, Trafford · U9 to U21

No open trials · 4 real routes in

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