Does Sunderland run academy trials?
Academy of Light · Cleadon, South Tyneside
No walk-up trials for the boys' academy itself: recruitment is scout-led, coordinated through the academy office and built on the club's soccer schools and grassroots links across the North East. The real open door is Foundation of Light, the club's charity, whose Player Development Centres run across Sunderland, South Tyneside and County Durham and feed talented players up towards the academy and the girls' Emerging Talent Centre. For girls, Sunderland and Gateshead's Regional Talent Club has historically run genuinely open trial nights before an invite-only second round, and the women's academy now operates as an FA Professional Game Academy (PGA) alongside Foundation of Light's pathway.
4 ways players actually get in.
Boys: scouted, or a Foundation development centre invitation, then an academy assessment period. Girls: Foundation trial nights leading to invite-only sessions, then possible progression to the PGA.
- 01Foundation of Light Player Development Centres
Invite-only weekly coaching for boys and girls aged 7 to 16 across multiple North East venues, with direct links to the Sunderland AFC Academy and the girls' Emerging Talent Centre. Entry follows Open Trials, school, evening, weekend or holiday programmes.
Official page ↗ - 02Scouted at grassroots and soccer schools
Academy scouts cover North East leagues and tournaments. A scout report, cross-checked by colleagues, leads to an invitation for an initial assessment, usually arranged through the player's current club.
- 03Direct approach to the academy
The academy accepts a short, professional email with the player's details, current club and a link to a highlights video. Not the preferred route and response is not guaranteed, but it is an official channel.
Official page ↗ - 04Girls: Emerging Talent Centre and Regional Talent Club pathway
Girls' football runs through Foundation of Light Wildcats, the Player Development Programme, the FA-funded Emerging Talent Centre, and on into Sunderland AFC Women's Professional Game Academy. Places are limited and offered by expression of interest.
Official page ↗
- Sunderland, South Tyneside and Gateshead
- County Durham
- Wider North East, with national recruitment from U16
- EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
- Ask whether the invitation is to a Foundation of Light Player Development Centre or the academy proper. The Foundation is the charity's coaching arm; only the academy registers players.
- Check the one-hour travel rule for U9 to U11 from your home to Cleadon, and 90 minutes for U12 to U16.
- For girls, watch for the annual expression-of-interest window for the Emerging Talent Centre and ask directly about the PGA pathway above U16.
- A polite, concise email to the academy with the player's CV and a short highlights clip is an accepted route in, but do not expect a reply.
WSL 2 academy, PGA Category 2.
Girls' academies are licensed by the FA, not the Premier League. How the girls' pathway works.
Sunderland Women were awarded a Category 2 PGA licence in 2023 and play in the PGA Northern Division. The Foundation of Light runs the girls' pathway and Emerging Talent Centre below it, with open first-round trial nights in past seasons.
Girls' football runs through Foundation of Light Wildcats, the Player Development Programme, the FA-funded Emerging Talent Centre, and on into Sunderland AFC Women's Professional Game Academy. Places are limited and offered by expression of interest.
Official page ↗Three things parents get sold.
- Foundation of Light, Player Development Centre (PDC) ↗
- Foundation of Light, Emerging Talent Centre ↗
- Foundation of Light, Season of success and growth for Female Football Pathway, Jul 2025 ↗
- Sunderland Echo, Sunderland academy boss opens up on recruitment plans, Apr 2026 ↗
- England Football, PGA licenses awarded to twenty clubs, Apr 2023 ↗
Last verified 7 September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will re-check within a week.