Arsenal Football Development

at Exsportise Summer Schools

Arsenal Football Development (formerly known as Arsenal Soccer Schools) aim to encourage students to ‘Play the Arsenal Way’. An unforgettable Arsenal camp experience for boys from 9 to 17 years old and for girls from 10 to 16 years old is awaiting for you at 4 great sites near London and in Southern England. Arsenal Football Development has designed a philosophy and training programme that recreates the experiences of the Arsenal Academy players. Please note that there are boys only training sessions and coed training sessions available where boys and girls will train together but there are no girls only training sessions available.

• Clayesmore School: 9 – 14 years old boys
• Seaford College: 10 – 16 years old boys and girls (boys only or coed training sessions)
• Worth School: 10 – 16 years old boys
• Oundle School: 11 – 17 years old boys
• Residential Camp soccer sessions only
• English classes option available

Thank you all again for your great care and support of Lewis back in August. I am sure he would like to return to Seaford again next year to improve his English and soccer skills.

– Lewis, Japan, 10 Arsenal Soccer Schools

Arsenal Football Development program focuses on a wide range of skills, drills, and tactics. The aim of the Exsportise Arsenal Football Development is to challenge the techniques and skills essential to a player’s development. These skills are fundamental to the Arsenal philosophy and are those which Arsenal FC use to play their attractive style of football.

• Soccer only Program is available which features 6 hours per day of soccer training but it is recommended only for boys at least 12 years old due to the level / physical requirements and intensity of the programs.
• Soccer and English sessions are also available, as an option, it combines 3 hours per day of both soccer training and English language classes.

Campers will be put into training groups based on age and ability at the start of the week. For advanced and experienced players, the camp offers a more intense and advanced level of coaching which may include video analysis as well as sessions on nutritional advice, injury prevention, and fitness. All of the activities and coaching are conducted in English and the multinational environment means that campers will primarily communicate in English throughout their stay.

Although there are no girls only sessions available, there are coed sessions available for certain dates at the Seaford site where boys and girls will train together.

Goalkeeper training is also available during the camp for both boys and girls. The goalkeeper training option consists of a half day of goalkeeper training daily during the week.

Arsenal Football Development 

Arsenal Football Club is one of the leading forces in European soccer with 13 leagues titles and 12 FA Cup crowns. Arsenal Football Development (formerly known as Arsenal Soccer Schools) have been running since 1985 and offers players of all abilities the opportunity to learn soccer and ‘Play the Arsenal Way’. The coaching program focuses on technical and tactical player development. Small sided games are played under high intensity conditions to improve passing, speed of movement, technique, and game understanding. Participants staying for two weeks will visit Arsenal Emirates Stadium in London (the home of Arsenal FC) during the weekend between the two sessions. (Note: in some exceptional circumstances, England soccer clubs close their stadia in the summer months with very little notice and therefore exact destinations and availability may need to change without prior warning). Outside soccer practices, participants will mix with other children participating at other sports camps on site for other activities and meals. 

Message from Arsenal Football Club, Football Development Lead Coach Simon McManus:

“Our Arsenal Football Development Programmes, delivered in partnership with Exsportise Summer Schools, are the perfect experience for young, aspiring footballers who want to learn what it takes to be an Arsenal Player.

Our ethos at Arsenal FC focuses on developing the person first and then the player. We mirror this ethos also in our language programmes. These provide opportunities to learn language and other skills that will be useful in everyday life, whilst developing the child’s footballing abilities; and an understanding of what it means to be an academy player at Arsenal.

Off the field there are a series of workshops that develop the students’ knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a professional footballer. Our workshops include the latest advice on nutrition, injury prevention, tactical analysis and sport psychology for optimising performance.

Our coaches replicate a training week that our academy players go through in the season using the same topics, learning outcomes and coaching styles that have been successful in developing some of the best young talent in the world. Leah Williamson has been with our girl’s Player Development Performance (PDP) programme since the age of nine and now represents Arsenal WFC and the England Lionesses. Additionally, we currently have seven academy graduates in our men’s first team squad, led by Bukayo Saka’s emergence as one of the Premier League’s most promising young talents.

We tailor the loading, intensity and complexity of the sessions to the individual needs of the players on our camp in order to prioritize their enjoyment and well-being. Training history is one of the key factors when determining the appropriate intensity in a session and we are constantly mindful of limiting injury risk.

Our coaches are trained to observe, identify and coach players individually within a group setting, ensuring each player receives the attention they deserve. We mix boys and girls together to provide a competitive element to every session as well as positive, new social challenges.”

Optional: English Classes as a Second Language

In addition to the Arsenal Football Development program, the camp also offers the opportunity to combine soccer coaching with English tuition (Optional) through through their partnership with Exsportise. As one of the leading providers of sports and English language camps in the UK, Exsportise has 30+ years of experience in running residential sports camps and offers a unique approach to combining sport with English language. Campers will receive three hours of English tuition each week day with small class sizes averaging 10 students per class. Students will need at least one year of English tuition before joining the language course.

Arsenal Football Development 2021 Prices To Come

• Boys Age Group: 9 to 14 (Clayesmore), 11 to 17 (Oundle), 10 to 16 (Seaford), or 10 to 16 (Worth)
• Girls Age Group: 10 to 16 (Seaford)
• Prices do not include Airfare
• Camp maximum stay is Two (2) weeks due to the physical demand of the training sessions

Please enter your email address in our newsletter box at the bottom of this page and we will keep you updated with the 2021 camps details when they become available in the next few months.

 1 Week Camps and 2 Week Camps are available.

 For 2 Week Camps, please use the following formula: Price of Session + Price of Session (weekend stay included)

 Your Soccer Camp Fee Includes:

• Full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Full Soccer programs with qualified English Soccer coaches
• 2 excursions – one to Arsenal Emirates stadium and the second to a theme park/other attraction or a nearby city of historical and cultural significance (reserved only for 2 weeks stay soccer participants during the weekend between sessions)
• Supervised multi-activity sessions program
• Evening social programs
• Laundry (only available for 2 weeks stay)
• Exsportise International staff on site 24 hours a day
• Camp certificate
• Arsenal Football Development shirt and bottle
• Insurance (contact us for full copy of policy)

Exsportise is an international company and welcomes students from around the world to their Schools and Colleges. Exsportise is registered with and is regularly inspected by B.A.H.A. (British Activity Holiday Association), whose high standards Exsportise aim to maintain. Most of the children attend Exsportise English language courses, which run in conjunction with their sports (multiple sports on sites at Oundle and Seaford) camps. Exsportise believes that this adds to the unique experience that is an Exsportise camp. Exsportise is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English as a Foreign Language.

Arsenal Football Development in exclusive partnership with Exsportise Summer Schools in the UK

Note: All prices are per person and in US dollars. Prices & availability are subject to change without written notification and are not confirmed until full payment has been made.

Arsenal Football Development Location & Details

Self check-in is on Sunday afternoons from 15:00 pm – 16:30 pm and self check-out is on Saturday mornings from 09:00 am – 11:00 am.

 The Arsenal Soccer Camps are located at Four Sites:

• Oundle School (Click here for Map)
• Clayesmore School (Click here for Map)
• Worth School (Click here for Directions)
• Seaford College (Click here for Map and Directions)

 Oundle School (11 – 17 years old)

Oundle School (North of London) has a long history dating back to 1556. Its campus is spread throughout the picturesque and typically English market town of Oundle, near Peterborough. Local facilities include an extensive array of sports pitches and courts and an indoor pool.

FACILITIES AND ACCOMMODATION
Comfortably and suitably equipped accommodation consists of:

• 2 and 3 person bedrooms (Shared bathrooms)
• Larger dormitories for younger students
• Individual storage for each child
• Oundle offers a state of the art language center and all sports facilities are on site
• Oundle also has an indoor swimming pool and sports hall

Click the image above to view site locations larger

 Clayesmore School (9 – 14 years old)

Clayesmore School (South-West of London) is situated in the small village of Iwerne Minster, near Blandford Forum. Set in the beautiful Dorset countryside, it offers an intimate environment and relaxed atmosphere. It is the ideal venue for first time visitors as it provides a distinctly family feel.

FACILITIES AND ACCOMMODATION
Clayesmore rooms are bright and comfortable. Accommodation consists of:

• 2 and 3 bed dormitories (Shared bathrooms)
• Some larger dormitories for younger students
• Individual storage for each child
• On site sports facilities and an indoor swimming pool

 Worth School (10 – 16 years old)

Worth School (South of London) is one of the great historic schools of England and among the most beautiful. The school is situated in 500 acres of beautiful Sussex countryside, within the grounds of Worth Abbey. Located in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Worth has housed the Benedictine School since the early 1930s. It is within easy reach of London and Brighton and close from Gatwick Airport. With exceptional facilities and boarding houses which have won architectural design awards, it provides a wonderful, safe environment for campers to experience and enjoy.

FACILITIES AND ACCOMMODATION

• 2 and 3 bed dormitories (Shared bathrooms)
• Soccer pitches and an artificial pitch
• Sports hall theatre

 Seaford College (10 – 16 years old)

Seaford College (Near London) sits in nearly 400 acres of “outstanding natural beauty” in the shadow of the South Downs. The Facilities, some from the 12th and 18th Centuries, include 7 hard tennis courts (4 of which are used for the tennis camp), 9 hole golf course, golf practice facilities including driving range, water-based artificial hockey pitch, soccer pitches, squash courts, sports hall, and an outdoor swimming pool.

FACILITIES AND ACCOMMODATION

• Student accommodation consists of rooms with 2 or 3 beds and larger dormitories for younger students (Shared bathrooms)
• A choice of nutritious food is served three times a day in the dining room
• The camp can cater for most special diets on request
• Outdoor swimming pool
• There are two full-time medical officers on site and a doctor, dentist, and hospital nearby

Ratio educators / children: 1 / 8 – 10

 Camp Details

Camp self check-in is on Sunday afternoons from 15:00 pm – 16:30 pm and self check-out is on Saturday mornings from 09:00 am – 11:00 am.

This Arsenal soccer program’s aim is to encourage students to play ‘The Arsenal Way’.

Coaching program focuses on technical and tactical player development. Small sided games are played under high intensity conditions to improve passing, speed of movement, technique and game understanding. For advanced and experienced players, the camp offers a more intense and advanced level of coaching, which may include video analysis, sessions on nutritional advice, injury prevention and fitness.

The Soccer Only Program (all day soccer) is recommended only for children at least 12 years old due to the intensity and physical demands involved. All of the activities and coaching are conducted in English and the camp multinational environment means that students will primarily communicate in English throughout their stay. Students are also offered a varied selection of evening entertainment and cultural experiences with other sports camps attendees on site through weekend excursions.

The camp provides a multi ability soccer program to ensure that it addresses the needs of every level of player. On day 1 of camp, all campers are given a skills assessment and placed into the appropriate group or program. The skills test is age group specific, and all players will have the opportunity to do the test and compare themselves to all players attending Exsportise Arsenal Football Development.

Girls Sessions: This year, reflecting the growing popularity and rapid development of women’s’ football globally, the camp is running four Girls’ Football Weeks in partnership with Arsenal Football Development. These  courses have been specially developed to ensure a balanced and enhanced coaching and training environment for the girls and the boys attending the football course and to encourage more girls to participate and experience the Exsportise and Arsenal Football Development collaborative approach to football coaching.

Arsenal Football Development’s coaching philosophy focuses on providing holistic experiences and development in each of the areas identified by The FA (technical/tactical, social, psychological and physical) that can translate into everyday life, helping students become better players and people. The Exsportise approach focuses on the individual, even when in a group situation, and looks at the ability, personality and confidence level of the student. This is why the camp coach and train boys and girls together based on their skill level and motivation, rather than dividing them into same sex groups. We have seen how this builds confidence, creates a mutually beneficial atmosphere, breaks down age and cultural barriers and enhances both performance and enjoyment levels for boys and girls together.

ARSENAL FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT COACHES:

Arsenal Football Development Head Coaches are UEFA B qualified and all other coaches hold a minimum of an UEFA licence coaching qualification along with the English Football Association Youth coaching certification. There is a rigorous selection process and only a small percentage of coaches make it through to becoming an Arsenal Football Development Coach. All successful coaches undergo internal Club training which gives them the knowledge and understanding of how to implement the Arsenal Football Development Philosophy and Playing the Arsenal Way. The coaches training continues with the Club as they participate in continuous professional development events, improving their skills at conducting sessions and developing youth players’ talents in The Arsenal Way.

The Exsportise ethos is learning by experiencing so, depending on an individual’s level of English and language goals, students can choose from the following options:

Sports and/or language day:

• 6 hours per day (Monday thru Friday) of coaching led by an Arsenal Football Development Coach (morning (3h) and afternoon (3h) for Soccer Only Camp)OR
• 3 hours of English per day as Foreign Language (EFL) (morning or afternoon for Soccer and English classes option)
  AND
• 3 hours per day (Monday thru Friday) of coaching led by an Arsenal Football Development Coach (morning or afternoon)

Although there are no girls only sessions available, there are coed sessions available for certain dates at the Seaford site where boys and girls will train together.

Goalkeeper training is also available during the camp for both boys and girls. The goalkeeper training option consists of a half day of goalkeeper training daily during the week.

The programmes are overseen by Arsenal Football Development Head Coaches and a team of accomplished assistant coaches. All camp staff are police checked and have received Child Protection training with many staff members returning year after year to Exsportise.

Overall staff to student ratio on campus is 1:4.

Average soccer coaching ratio is 1:10.

All staff are residential and live on site, sleeping in the same houses as the campers. Each student is allocated a House Parent and a Welfare Staff member upon arrival, who will take care of their welfare and happiness for the duration of their stay.

Each venue has two on-site Medical Officers, as well as trained First Aiders, and is within easy reach of hospitals and medical centres. It is important that the camp receives accurate medical information before camp.

NATIONALITY MIX:
Exsportise welcomes students from all over the world although limits the number of students from any one country at any one course. This ensures that the courses are multi-national and include native speaking English children too. Exsportise do try their best to accommodate all room share and non-room share requests.

KEY POINTS:

• Learn to ‘Play the Arsenal Way’
• Program designed by Arsenal Football Development and delivered by an Arsenal Football Development head coach
• 3 hours (soccer and English) or 6 hours (soccer only) of soccer coaching each day
• Suitable for children of all soccer ability levels from 9 to 17 years old (soccer only camp recommended for children at least 12 years old)
• Skills and drills aimed at improving physical agility, dribbling,
  turning, passing and receiving, defending, shooting and finishing
• Tactical sessions on patterns of play, phases of play, team shape,
  counter attacking and pressing
• Players will receive an Arsenal Football Development shirt and drinking bottle
• Average soccer coaching ratio is 1:10

FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS:

• More intensive coaching and technical assistance
• Nutrition, fitness, strength, and injury prevention
• Opportunity to be selected to play against a local development team

 Excursions

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES FOR CAMPERS STAYING TWO WEEKS
Campers staying two weeks will be offered two full day excursions during the weekend between the two sessions.

One excursion is either a visit to a nearby city of historical and cultural significance such as Bath, Brighton, Oxford, or Cambridge or a visit to a theme park/other attraction such as THORPE PARK or Chessington World of Adventures while the second excursion is a visit to the home of Arsenal Football Club – The Emirates Stadium.

One of the highlights of the camp for campers staying two weeks is a visit to the home of Arsenal Football Club – The Emirates Stadium in London. Campers may be taken on Arsenal’s new state of the art audio-visual tour where a host of Arsenal stars share their match-day experiences. Campers will get to explore behind-the-scenes, take their place in the changing room, listen to the roar of the crowd and walk down the tunnel. The tour will also include a trip to the spectacular interactive Arsenal Museum which houses exclusive exhibits including Michael Thomas’ boots from Anfield ’89, Charlie George’s 1971 FA Cup final shirt and Alan Smith’s shirt from 1994’s European Cup Winners Cup Final. Campers will also get the opportunity to visit the Arsenal store.

Please note that in some exceptional circumstances, England soccer clubs close their stadia in the summer months with very little notice and therefore exact destinations and availability may need to change without prior warning.

 Social Activities

LEISURE TIME
Seaford College, Oundle School, and Clayesmore School have swimming pools. Other facilities include table tennis, table football, short tennis, volleyball and television, and Exsportise offers students supervised internet access.

EVENING ACTIVITIES
A special program of evening activities is available to Arsenal Football Development campers. The camp entertainment team plan lots of activities including talent shows, movie nights, team games, scavenger hunts, dodgeball, disco nights, and race nights. This offers everyone at camp a chance to mix and get to know each other better, outside of their English classes or soccer training. Soccer campers will also be able to join in with campers from other sports programs on site.

 Arsenal Football Development – Sample Typical Day at Camp (Subject to Change):

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