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Category 1ChampionshipU9 to U21

Does West Bromwich Albion run academy trials?

West Bromwich Albion Academy, EPPP Building · Halfords Lane, West Bromwich

NoStraight answer

No open trials for the academy itself; it recruits by scouting across the West Midlands. Below it, The Albion Foundation, the club's charity, runs a bookable ladder: paid Player Development Centres from age 4, invite-only Player Development Academies for Under-8 to Under-10, and open trials each spring for its Midland Junior Premier League squads at Sandwell Academy on Halfords Lane. Players who stand out in Foundation teams are the ones the academy's Talent ID staff see most often. Category 1 since the Elite Player Performance Plan began in 2012.

Category1
First entryU9
FeederThe Albion Foundation
Open trialsAcademy: none. Foundation: yes
GirlsNo PGA women's academy
BaseHalfords Lane
The real routes in

4 ways players actually get in.

Foundation open trials (MJPL, PDAs) each spring, plus year-round grassroots scouting reporting into the academy's Talent ID team.

  1. 01
    Official routeFree to trial
    Midland Junior Premier League open trials

    Annual open trials at Sandwell Academy, Halfords Lane, for players in Year 6 to Year 11 wanting an MJPL place with The Albion Foundation. Book a slot for the relevant age group; successful trialists go to a second round.

    Official page ↗
  2. 02
    Paid programmePaid, weekly
    Player Development Centres, ages 4 to 12

    Weekly Foundation sessions at venues including Birmingham County FA, open to book directly, no trial needed to start. The stated route through to the invite-only Player Development Academies, Talent ID and potentially the academy itself.

    Official page ↗
  3. 03
    Official route
    Player Development Academies, U8 to U10

    Invite-only centres in South Birmingham, Staffordshire and the Black Country that mirror the academy's own Foundation Phase curriculum. Annual summer trials, successful players represent West Brom against clubs such as Cardiff and Derby County.

    Official page ↗
  4. 04
    Scouted
    Scouted at grassroots

    Academy scouts cover Sandwell, Birmingham, the Black Country and Staffordshire. Category One status allows national recruitment from U16.

Where scouts watch
  • Sandwell and West Bromwich
  • Birmingham and the Black Country
  • Staffordshire and Worcestershire
  • EPPP limit: 1 hour travel U9 to U11, 90 minutes U12 to U16
If a scout calls
  1. Ask whether the offer is from The Albion Foundation or the academy. The charity coaches and runs teams; only the academy registers players.
  2. Check the travel rule from your home to Halfords Lane: one hour at U9 to U11, ninety minutes at U12 to U16. The Foundation centres sit in South Birmingham, Staffordshire and the Black Country; the academy does not.
  3. MJPL and Player Development Academy trials are announced on wba.co.uk months ahead and fill. Register early, then keep playing for your own club.
  4. Villa, Birmingham and Wolves scout the same pitches. A scout from one is not a scout from all; ask which club and which age group.
Watch out

Three things parents get sold.

A Player Development Centre place is weekly paid coaching. Good coaching, and the Foundation says it is the route to Talent ID, but nothing is registered and nothing is promised.
The Foundation's "Player Development Academies" are not the academy. Same badge, same building name, different thing. If you are paying, it is a development centre.
Third-party "West Brom trial" events exist. If the booking is not on wba.co.uk it is not the club or its charity.
Sources

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

Nearby

Other academies in reach.

Category 1

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Compton, Wolverhampton · U9 to U21

No open trials · 3 real routes in

See the pathway →
Category 1

Aston Villa

Bodymoor Heath, Warwickshire, and Perry Barr, Birmingham · U9 to U21

No open trials · 4 real routes in

See the pathway →
Category 1

Leicester City

Seagrave, north Leicestershire · U9 to U21

No open trials · 3 real routes in

See the pathway →
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