AFC SOUTHAMPTON SPORTS GROUP

Train & Play

THE SOUTHAMPTON WAY

training-southampton

WHAT IS THE SOUTHAMPTON WAy?

Established by English Premier League’s Southampton FC, The Southampton Way is a training philosophy and approach based on developing high quality players not only on the field, but also off the pitch as well.

Our style of technical and tactical training combined with off-field lessons and physical endurance drills produces a player that is comfortable anywhere on the field and can contribute to our team goals across all phases of play.

What Your Child Will Get

  • Top level professional academy training from English Premier League club Southampton FC
  • Sessions broken down into three components: Classroom session (Physiological), Ball Mastery, Technical and Physical skills
  • Small sided games and tactics
  • Academy graduates are set up to receive university scholarships and/or pro club tryouts
  • Repaid growth in skills, balance, coordination, speed, and agility
  • Increase skills in concentration, persistence, and self discipline
  • Weekly call-up opportunities to play with older age groups
  • Develop rapidly in a fast-paced environment
  • Constant feedback: verbal or written
  • International exposure: showcase tournament in Europe or USA

What We Provide

  • Position specific training for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers
  • Skills training Summer Camp by top European coaches
  • 3 training sessions and 1 game per week all year round
  • Access to sports technology – to measure and track improvement – including: stationary bikes, resistance bands, reaction testing with our Fit light equipment, GSP player performance tracker, and Benchmark our players against Southampton FC Academy players 
  • UK best technical skills development training program in a 24/24 Box every week
  • Training with professional European clubs coaches and Division One university coaches every summer
  • Access to yoga, technical skills training, strength and conditioning, nutrition session, speed testing, shooting testing, and agility testing

PRINCIPLES OF PLAY

ATTACKING

passing / support

depth / width

mobility / movement

penetration

improvisation

DEFENDING

recovery / delay

pressure / support

compactness

cover / balance

control / restraint

TRAINING SESSIONS

90 MINUTE TRAINING MODEL

training30

20 MINUTES

Classroom Session
Football Psychology

training30

40 MINUTES

Ball Mastery
Technical Skills
S&C

training30

30 MINUTES

Small Sided Games
Tactics & TECHNICAL

We teach players the importance of balancing both sport and education

STYLE OF PLAY

E

Playing Out The Back

With four defenders and three central midfielders, there are seven players able to receive the ball from deep and look to build possession.

E

Switching the Play

With wide forward players staying disciplined it is possible to look for quick switches once the opposition has compacted to your side of the field.

E

Clinical in Final Third

The team that wins is usually the team that makes the most of its chances. We must be clinical in the final third and look for good high percentage shots and positive forward passes.

E

Pressing as a team

With three forward players it is possible to press from the front as long as the team behind is staying with the forwards. Pressing alone causes gaps but pressing as a team causes pressure on the opposition’s defense.

GAME COACHING

Constant feedback

FIRST HALF
SECOND HALF
training30

Pre-Game

Talk
& Game Directions

FIRST HALF
training30

Half-time

coaching
& corrections

SECOND HALF
training30

Post-Game

Feedback
& Learning Points

We provide PLAYERS CONSTANT FEEDBACK – BEFORE, DURING, & AFTER EACH GAME

WE MEET PLAYERS HALF-WAY & PROVIDE ALL THE TOOLS TO SUCCEED

PLAYER EVALUATIONS

A full-circle player evaluation will be conducted and delivered to each player at the end of each training cycle. Areas of improvement and suggestions going forward will be provided.

PROGRESS TRACKING

We assign our players weekly homework and assess progress based on pre-determined goals and development areas established early on in our training together.

AREAS OF FOCUS

Attacking Technical
Passing, Receiving, Individual Possession, Crossing & Finishing, and more.
Attacking Tactical
Playing Out Of The Back, Playing Through The Midfield, Playing In & Around The Penalty Box, Wide Area, Finishing Inside The Box, and more.
Technical & Tactical
Attitude To Defend, Angles, Blocking, Balance, Body Shape, Combination Play, Create Space, Defending Principle In SSG, Distance, Fake, Feints, Half-Turn Angled, Interaction, Interceptions, and more.
Strength & Conditioning
Acceleration, Aerobic Endurance, Agility, Anaerobic, Backward Movement, Balance, Depth Jumps, Coordination, Explosiveness, Foot-Eye Coordination, Extensive Overload, Flexibility / Mobility, High Speed Running, Intensive Overload, and more.
DEFENDING TECHNICAL
Pressing, Compact, Individual Defending, Wide Central, and more.
Defending Tactical
Pressing From The Front, Pressing In The Middle Third, Defending Out Number, Counter Attack, In Defending Third, In Attacking Third, Wide Area, and more.
Ball Mastery
Step Over, Squeeze, Drag Push, Shimmy, Stop Turn, Scissors, Inside Cut, Outside Cut, High Wave, Spin Turn, 360 Spin, Jay jay, and more.
Social, Emotion, & MEntal
Affiliation, Accepting, Adaptability, Anticipation, Character Building, Communication, Coping With Pressure, Deliberate Practice, Emotional Management, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, Emotional Awareness, Emotional Control, Focus, and more.

OUR APPROACH

We push boundaries and constantly innovate beyond expectations by breaking down what great players do and teaching our player how to do the same thing, step-by-step.

Footwork

There’s no doubt that our player agility is the centerpiece of our program. For the last six years, we’ve been studying the most effective ways to improve our players’ agility, balance, and coordination so that they can feel the way high-performing players move. Our curriculum and player skill-level advances with each year of enrollment; both intermediate and advanced players can look forward to being challenged each session.

On field FILM SESSIONS

Every training session starts with a film session of game review. It’s a learning experience created to motivate and inspire our players to ignite the learning process.

POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE

Changing personal limits to achieve things you’ve never done before is hard work. Mistakes teach our players what we need to focus on together. With that in mind, every session we’ll bring the positive energy and we expect you to do the same – we will work together to improve your limits.

Our Best Players are self-driven from an early age

A player’s success is determined by:

  • The Player 95% 95%
  • The Support Around Him or Her 5% 5%

We Provide
unparalleled Support
to OUR PLAYERS

EXPLORE AFC

PHILOSOPHY

Understand our mission, values, and approach towards training and running our programs.

STAFF

Our team focuses on the individual - we nurture and develop players to become the best they can be.

HISTORY

Learn more about Athletic Football Club Southampton Sports Group development over the years.

SAFEGUARDING

Learn how Athletic Football Club Southampton safeguards all players and children in each program.

HOME FIELD

View our practice and game field locations for each program.

PARTNERS

We are proud to be Southampton FC's first International Academy Partner in Ontario, Canada.

ACHIEVEMENTS

View the Athletic Football Club Southampton's awards, trophies, and achievements.

CONTACT US

Send us a message for more information regarding our programs, training, or anything else.