Phase 1 starts with an after school physical activities provision to help students develop overall physical literacy. This is the practical coaching and sport instruction phase where students develop the fundamentals of the game of football like passing and receiving, dribbling, shooting and goalkeeping for beginners to advanced skills such as transition and systems of play. Talent identification processes will be an integral part of this phase. Long-Term Player Development: Intelligent development of players is a continuum that overlaps age groups. The programme will adopt modern processes to the development of players. These includes developing the child’s appreciation of the game, keeping winning and losing in proper perspective and being sensitive to each player’s development needs.

Also, we will strive to implement rules and equipment modifications according to the players’ age group, allow players to experience all positions and provide the appropriate number of training sessions and matches according to the player’s stage of development

The elite element of the phase is the player development centre or Centre of Excellence where the most gifted and talented players will be coached by Southampton Academy coaches based in the country. Players will be selected from the inter-schools (FUTSTAR) league, and they will be educated on the technical, tactical, physical, and psychological (four components of football) demands of the game for their level of play. Coaches will strive to help each player reach their full potential and be prepared to move to the next stage of development.