Does Reading run academy trials?
Bearwood Park · Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire · Checked 5 September 2026
No open trials for the academy, but Reading's community trust runs bookable Talent ID sessions that sell out, and publishes the numbers. In 2025, 133 players moved from its Development tier to Advanced, 80 from Advanced to Elite, and 19 from Elite into academy football, with 18 more already this season. Reading is a Category 1 academy in League One, which is rare, and its own trial periods run up to eight weeks by invitation.
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
Trust tiers with half-termly fixtures, then an academy trial of up to eight weeks by invitation.
- 01Community Trust Talent ID session
Bookable, first come first served, one-hour sessions at Arborfield Green for U6 to U14 age bands. Entry point to a three-tier training centre programme: Development, Advanced, Elite.
Official page ↗ - 02Elite Centre into an academy trial
The Elite tier trains weekly and plays other professional clubs' community programmes each half term. Graduates are invited on trial to an academy age group. The trust reports 19 progressions in 2025.
Official page ↗ - 03Scouted at grassroots in Berkshire
Academy scouts cover Berkshire, north Hampshire and south Oxfordshire. Trial periods of up to eight weeks follow.
- 04Send playing history to recruitment
The club has said parents can send a player's playing history and current fixture list to the academy recruitment department, which may send a scout.
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.
Which ball size? See our size guide.
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- Reading and Wokingham
- Bracknell, Newbury, Basingstoke
- South Oxfordshire
- EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
- Ask which tier. Development, Advanced and Elite are trust programmes. Only the academy registers players.
- Ask how many moved up last term. The trust publishes it, so the coach should know.
- Check the travel rule to Bearwood Park, near Wokingham. One hour at U9 to U11.
- Reading has changed ownership and league recently. Ask how academy staffing looks this season.
Reading girls academy trials 2026/27
Girls' academies are licensed by the FA, not the Premier League. How the girls' pathway works.
Reading Women were awarded a Category 2 PGA licence in 2023, then the women's side was moved down the pyramid in 2024 as the club cut costs. There is no WSL-level girls' academy at Reading now. Berkshire ETCs run by the county FA and nearby clubs are the current step for talented girls.
What to check before you agree
- Reading Chronicle, Community Trust Talent ID sessions almost full, May 2026 ↗
- Reading FC regains Category One status, Jul 2023 ↗
- Reading FC recruitment FAQ as reproduced by FC Scout ↗
- Premier League Youth Development Rules (travel limits, registration) ↗
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Updated 17 October 2026. Last verified 5 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us so we can check the page.