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Category 1Premier LeagueU9 to U21

Does Leicester City run academy trials?

Leicester City Training Ground, Seagrave · Seagrave, north Leicestershire

NoStraight answer

No open trials for the boys' academy. Leicester recruits by scouting local grassroots football, and its own guidance is that joining a soccer school is the most reliable way to get noticed, since scouts regularly watch sessions there. Direct written applications to the academy recruitment team are accepted but the club is upfront that they rarely lead to a scouted game. The girls' side is more open: LCFC Women runs summer junior trials for school years 3 to 10, with dates published in advance and sign-up online.

Category1
First entryU9
Open trialsBoys: none. Girls: annual summer trials
BaseSeagrave, north Leicestershire
GirlsWSL academy, PGA Category 1
The real routes in

3 ways players actually get in.

Boys: scouted from soccer schools and grassroots, or a written approach reviewed by the recruitment team. Girls: published open trial dates each summer.

  1. 01
    Official route
    Academy Player Registration (boys)

    The club's published policy on how boys join the academy, travel-time rules, and trial periods once invited. Recruitment is by scouting; the page names the recruitment contact for questions about the scouting network and development centres.

    Official page ↗
  2. 02
    Scouted
    Scouted through soccer schools and local football

    Leicester's own advice is that soccer schools are watched regularly by academy scouts. A written approach with a player CV, stats and fixture list to the recruitment email is also accepted, though the club is candid that it is a slower route than being seen live.

  3. 03
    Official route
    LCFC Women Academy summer junior trials

    Open trial dates for school years 3 to 10, published each spring, held at the women's Belvoir Drive training ground with UEFA-qualified coaches. Sign-up is via an online form; not everyone who registers gets a trial slot.

    Official page ↗
Where scouts watch
  • Leicester and Leicestershire
  • Wider East Midlands, including Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
  • National recruitment for Under-12s and above under current EPPP rules
  • EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
If a scout calls
  1. Ask whether the contact is scouting for the Academy directly or for a soccer school, both wear the badge, only one leads to registration.
  2. Check the travel-time rule: one hour for U9 to U11, 90 minutes for U12 to U16, from Seagrave.
  3. If sending a written application, include the fixture list and kick-off details the club asks for, it's how they decide whether to send a scout.
  4. For girls, the ETC and academy trial windows are announced in spring for summer trials. Register early; spaces are limited per age group.
Girls

WSL academy, PGA Category 1.

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

Leicester City Women hold a Category 1 PGA licence with U21s in the PGA Northern Division. Unusually open: LCFC Women publishes summer junior trials for school years 3 to 10 with online sign-up, and East Midlands ETCs feed the academy.

Watch out

Three things parents get sold.

A soccer school session is a coaching product, not an academy trial, even when scouts are watching it.
LCFC Women's Academy attained PGA Tier 1 status in 2023; question any advertising that implies boys' and girls' recruitment work the same way, as the pathways and contacts are separate.
Category One clubs can now recruit Under-12s and above nationally, not just locally, useful context if you're weighing a long-distance approach from another region.
Sources

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

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West Bromwich Albion

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