10 Of The Best Football Academies In Africa | 2024

Football Academies are involved with the development of a youngster from the very first start, academies’ functions include distinguishing the talents and abilities of the young rising footballers and supporting them in the utmost way.

Without a doubt, every aspiring footballer from a tender age is meant to devote time to learn the rudiments and antics of the game that would make them exceptional in their chosen career, and for every footballer, we can say are a product of a certain ‘Football Academies’.

Globally, there are lots of football academies that have firmly helped young players stay clear of crime, and give them opportunities to build their talents, having said that, few are known for producing top-notch football stars, while some are well known for producing the best minds and legs in the game over the years.

Meet some of the top football academies in Africa that have distinguished themselves in grooming great players over the years for teams in Europe and Africa itself.

The article was first published on July 14 2020 & updated on March 12,  2024

Kadji Sports Academy – (Cameroon)

Kadji Sports Academy has been synonymous with grooming talents since its existence, and they’ve been able to produce quality players who have ended up playing for some of the best club sides in Europe.

Among the players that have passed through the academy is former Lorient star Benjamin Moukandjo, Stephane Mbia, Aurelien Chedjou, Carlos Kameni, and former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto’o.

The Douala-based club partners with different European clubs such as OG Nice, Sevilla, Saint Etienne, and Atletico Madrid, which makes it easier for the club to transport young talented players to some of the teams once they are mature enough to play in some of the top-flight leagues.

It must also be said that Kadji SA, is also a sports training and fitness center founded by Kadji Defosso.

More often than not, football academies are usually stocked up with young players from age 15 to 18 years, depending on the philosophy of the academy.

In the case of Kadji SA, the grooming and teaching of young players started very early at the complex of the academy which is nearly 40 hectares, with the best accommodations, and well-experienced managers that would instill the rudiment of the game into the players.

It also comes with academic studies for the players to prepare them for their professional lives.

Kwara Football Academy – (Nigeria)

Kwara Football Academy was set up in 2005 as an initiative of then Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and it is one of the leading football academies in Africa which provides a platform for young aspiring footballers to combine football academics together while in the four walls of the academy.

Over the years the academy has produced players who were an integral part of the U17 World Cup-winning team in the United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Abdul Taofiq, the academy has also groomed players for Kwara United and Bukola Babes.

The academy intends to help develop skill and professional training for young footballers, and without mincing a word the academy has experienced managers, which is one of its kind in Nigeria since its inception with over 100 students or thereabout, between the ages of 13 and 21 to make them one of the best players inside and outside Nigeria.

KFA is also known for hosting top football personalities, in the past, the academy had hosted top personalities both from Nigeria and outside the continent, such as Jose Mourinho, former CAF President Issa Hayatou, and other prominent football scouts across the world.

Among what Kwara Football Academy is known for is hosting a scouting tournament that would help in picking youngsters, and addressing crime and drug abuse in the community, in that regard something of such came to the fore in January 2020.

Mimos Sifcom Academy – (Ivory Coast)

Mimos was created in 1993 by Roger Ouegnin and Jean-Marc Guillou, ever since the academy was created it has remained one of the most popular football schools in Africa and Ivory Coast.

It has produced a number of successful African footballers for the country’s national team and teams in Europe, which include former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure,  Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho, Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, Didier Zokora, and Didier Ya Konan.

Since the inception of the football academy, they’ve been working hand in hand with ASEC Mimosas one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the Ivory Coast in grooming players between the age of 11 and 12 years.

The club has given many of her academic graduates the chance to represent them when they’re of age, all thanks to Mimos Sifcom Academy.

Mimos Sifcom isn’t just a football academy, they also make sure education is amongst the top priorities of the academy in other to help players who are often seen as underprivileged from poor backgrounds, to become well-trained professionals with great football skills and sound educational backgrounds to help in their professional lives.

Pepsi Football Academy – (Nigeria)

When talking about one of the finest and well-recognized football academies in Nigeria, Pepsi Football Academy it’s no doubt a name to vouch for.

The academy was founded in the early 1990s by the popular beverage company Pepsi, with over 14 centers across the country and over 3000 young players in the academy.

The academy has the knack for encouraging and bringing up a lot of youngsters over the years, from the ages of 6-18 years, and nurturing them into some of the best in the world of football.

The academy has also produced some of the best legs in Nigeria football which include former Monaco left-back Elderson Echiejile, former Chelsea, Trabzonspor maestro Mikel Obi, Joseph Akpala, Onyekachi Apam, and Vanzekin amongst others.

Pepsi Academy also offers some of its students scholarships to the United Kingdom, a scheme that provides the players with the opportunity to advance in their academics which would be very helpful in their lives as footballers.

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Diambers FC – (Senegal)

Diambers was founded by Jean-Marc Adjovi Boco a former Republic of Benin defender, Senegalese Bernard Lama, and entrepreneur Saer Seck in 2003.

When the first stone was laid in Saly, which is the Southern part of Dakar in Senegal, it became a professional club in 2008 and they joined the second division of the Senegalese league but now play in the first division.

Diambers isn’t just a football academy that nurtures youngsters into some of the best in the world, it also provides the normal school curriculum, and academic triumph, and athletic achievement are equal size at the academy.

Since the academy was founded it has produced talented players who have been sold to elite clubs, players such as Idrissa Gueye who currently plies his trade with Paris Saint Germain, Salou Ciss, and Papa Souare amongst others.

The ‘Warriors’ as their name suggest also won their first division title in 2010, having come from the second division of the Senegalese league, since then they’ve remained one of the top contenders in the first division, without forgetting the main reason why the academy was been set up.

Katumbi Football Academy – (DR Congo)

Nurturing and grooming young footballers have been one fantastic project that has really produced a lot of benefits for TP Mazembe and the Congolese national team, albeit, they may not have won the AFCON, they’ve been able to parade decent players in the national team over the years.

The construction of the academy has always been part of the long-term strategy which is to produce talented players for the benefit of the biggest club side in DR Congo and Africa which has been evident in TP Mazembe’s triumph on the continent and some of the big clubs in Europe.

The academy provides quality training conditions with rich programs that cover all age categories for the youth of DR Congo in other to develop their God-given talents.

Since the academy was founded in 2012 as a social program to engage and train young Congolese youth in the province of Katanga, it has been able to produce quality players who would look back to where they were nurtured, groomed, and say thank you to Moise Katumbe for setting up the academy.

Midas Football Academy – (Nigeria)

Midas Football Academy is one of the prominent football academies in Nigeria, created in 2006 in other to discover youngsters across the nation and it’s a project that works in conjunction with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The idea behind the project is to help young and talented players to develop professionally as a footballer with the best orientation, which would be useful in navigating their professional careers.

Midas regularly competes in international youth tournaments across the world, which is a perfect platform to showcase the talent of players to some of the big and finest teams across Europe, the academy also offers education to its players.

The academy has a strong network partnership with some top clubs in Europe for its players, in other to engage them for trading and trials when they’re of age, which is very key in pursuing their career as a professional footballer.

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Mohammed VI Academy – (Morocco)

Following the observation that Moroccan football lacks talented footballers in the country, King Mohammed VI proposed the creation of a center that would serve as a national model of training in terms of law, financing, supervision, and infrastructure, with this great idea.

The academy was created in 2008 and inaugurated a year after its creation in 2009.

A huge amount of money was invested into creating the academy which was worth around 140 million dirhams, equivalent to €13 million, after the creation of the academy over 45 children from age 12-13 were the first set of players that were enrolled in the academy, with the aim to nurture and promote the youngsters into one of the best in Africa and the world.

The academy also has well-constructed guidelines for a sports study curriculum, which offers a three-level program for students with the first level being a preparatory stage to adjust them to what to expect in the four walls of the academy.

The school has 10 classrooms, along with language and computer science classrooms for the players.

Right To Dream Football Academy – (Ghana)

This academy started its operation on a small scale initially by training just a few boys on a dust pitch in Accra.

Since the inception of the academy in 1999 it has produced players plying their trade in top clubs in Europe, and over 16 years still counting Right to Dream has kept evolving as one of the best academies on the continent.

Right to Dream also trains female footballers, and the academy was founded by British Social Entrepreneur Tom Vernon, to provide children with an opportunity to build better lives and stay out of poverty.

Talk about an achievement they’ve been able to achieve huge success with their youngsters, among them is the fact that their U18 and U15 were unbeaten for a combined total of 45 matches on their European tour.

Right To Dream is well known for the identification of youngsters process in West Africa every two years, between 15-20 students are usually selected out of over 30,000 players going through trials, to study and train at the academy on 100% scholarships.

Ligi Ndogo Academy – (Kenya)

The academy is the most renowned school in Kenya and was established in 2002.

Ligi Ndogo was set up as the main training school of the Ligi Ndogo Sports Club since its creation some famous players have passed through the academy such as Swedish International John Guidetti and Kenyan international Ayub Masika.

The academy teaches its students about soccer skills, discipline, team spirit, and leadership which is their main aim in providing a suitable environment for youngsters to develop their skills as a footballer.

One of the methods of teaching in the academy using a well-developed learning curriculum to help the youngsters academically.

At the Ligi Ndogo academy, they have different categories of teams from Toms which is from the range (4-6 years), Junior  (7-9 years), Lower Mids (10-12 years), Upper Mids (13-14years), and U19 years.

All of these are put in place to help youngsters who have the raw talent to become great footballers, which is possible with some of the best facilities and the right orientation at the academy.

Benefits of Attending a Football Academy

Enrolling in a prestigious football academy can be a major step for young athletes with ambitions of making it big in the world of professional sports.

Here are some of the key benefits that come with this choice:

1. Expert Coaching: Football academies provide access to top-tier coaches, often with extensive professional experience. This level of coaching greatly improves a player’s technical, tactical, physical, and mental skills, laying a strong foundation for a successful career.
2. State-of-the-Art Facilities: These academies have exceptional training facilities, including high-quality pitches, well-equipped gyms, and cutting-edge training resources. Having access to these facilities is essential for maximizing a player’s development.
3. Competitive Environment: Young talents at these academies are exposed to competition. They regularly participate in matches and tournaments against other leading academies, which pushes them to constantly improve their skills and perform at their best.
4. Exposure: Scouts from professional clubs and national teams often visit these academies in search of emerging talent. Excelling at the academy can help players gain recognition and open doors to higher levels of competition.
5. Education Emphasis: While focused on football development, these academies also prioritize education. They offer tailored schooling and tutoring, ensuring that players receive a well-rounded education, and preparing them for life beyond the field.
6. Professionalism: Living and training in a structured football environment instill discipline, professionalism, and good training habits. These qualities are essential for players aiming to succeed in the professional football world.
7. Progress Monitoring: Coaches closely monitor a player’s technical, tactical, and physical progression, providing valuable feedback. This feedback is crucial in helping young talents fine-tune their skills and advance in their football careers.

How To Join A Football Academy

To set your sights on a professional football journey through an academy, here’s what’s needed:

1. Commitment: You must be dedicated to putting in the hard work and adhering to the training regimen. Training is rigorous and requires self-discipline.
2. Fundamental Skills: Ensure you have a strong foundation in essential skills such as ball control, passing, dribbling, and shooting. Physical attributes like speed, coordination, and agility are important, and a good understanding of the game is a plus.
3. Getting Noticed: Attend trial matches or skills camps organized by professional clubs or academies to increase your visibility. Some also scout players at youth tournaments.
4. Passing Trials: If you’re scouted, you’ll receive an invitation for a trial. Coaches will assess your technical abilities, physical condition, tactical understanding, and attitude.
5. Age Requirements: Most academies accept players between 8 and 15 years old. Starting at a younger age helps establish a solid foundation. Some academies have U18 development squads as well.
6. Parental Support: Parents must commit to supporting their academy needs, including transportation, nutrition, education, expenses, and providing encouragement.
7. Show Your Best: Bring your A-game to every trial. Display your skills, determination, and potential. If your abilities match what they’re looking for, you may receive an offer.

Stay informed about trial dates with clubs, reach out to academies to inquire about assessment opportunities, and participate in major youth tournaments to increase your chances of being scouted.

FAQs

How old do you need to be to join an academy?

Most academies look for players between the ages of 8 and 15.

The optimal age range is around 10-12 when fundamental skills are being developed. Some academies have Under 18 squads for those who develop their skills later.

Do football academies offer education?

Yes!

Many established academies provide classroom education on-site or collaborate with local schools to ensure that players maintain a balance between sports and academics.

Can girls join these academies?

Generally, yes.

Many academies now have programs for girls in addition to boys. However, opportunities may be more limited for female players.

Is prior experience required for admission?

Not necessarily.

Proving raw potential and the right attitude can be enough to earn a trial. Still, having some experience in a youth club, school, or representative team can be beneficial.

How can I get scouted or assessed for trials?

You can directly contact the academy to inquire about assessment days. Attend their scouting camps and gain exposure by participating in youth tournaments. Many academies also scout players in youth leagues.