The Charlton Athletic Women's Football Academy

In partnership with London Leisure College, Greenwich University and Canterbury High School, the football academy provides full-time academic study with a minimum of eight hours training for talented female footballers aged 16 upwards. The academy is selective and trials are held annually. Girls study a variety of courses including BSc Sports Science with Professional Football Coaching, AS + A2 level courses, BTEC First Diploma in Science (Sports), GCSE retakes and a range of FA coaching qualifications. Once gained the FA qualifications provide the students with an opportunity to work within the club's community coaching programme, and for local clubs and football providers. Players' progression from the academy is into the women's team.

The Charlton Athletic Women's Football Academy provides the only FA Premier League Football Apprenticeship for female footballers in England and is designed for students 16 years upwards. Students can attend the London academy campus where students train at the club's Sparrows Lane professional football training ground or for those students living in Kent and who wish to live at home, the Canterbury High School campus where they will train and study alongside students enrolled on the parallel athletics, rugby, tennis and cricket academies. Players from both campuses are coached by first-team coach Keith Boanas and are selected to compete in the AFA Women's Academy League, which operates on Wednesday afternoons. Academy graduates progress into many jobs within the health and leisure Industry including sports administration and in addition progress to study degree level courses at Greenwich University London, Christchurch University in Kent and other universities around the country. To date one student has been offered a place at Cambridge University on completion of her course. On the playing side the academy has seen five players selected for England national teams while another 26 have progressed into the Charlton Athletic senior team.

The academy provides a minimum of eight hours training per week with
specialist goalkeeping coaching from former Charlton Athletic number one Pauline Cope.

Candidates will study:

• Full range of AS + A level courses including Business Studies, Sport and Recreation, Health and Social Care and ICT
• BSC sports science with professional football coaching
• BTEC First Diploma in science (sports)
• GCSE re-takes
• FA coaching Qualifications

For more details, see the Women's Academy section.