STAFF TEAM
WHO WE ARE
CALLUM LAWE
ACADEMY DIRECTOR
HEAD OF FOOTBALL
DAN LESTER
ACADEMY DIRECTOR
HEAD OF EDUCATION
LIAM RIGG
HEAD OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
FOOTBALL
OUR FACILITIES
We boast that the entirety of our football scholarship programme is based on our very own campus site at Holbeach United CSA. Our football programme has an unrivaled training facility, which includes a brand new state-of-the-art 3G pitch, a fully kitted out Strength & Conditioning suite, a squad analysis room, a mini lecture theatre, a classroom space that accommodates up to 30 learners, a board room, an ice recovery suite, and canteen hall, and 4 fully furnished changing rooms and showers.
When it comes to the training element of the programme, the Academy has a wide array of choices to use. We are lucky to have the 'Kings Academy', a state of the art 3G facility that is ours to use throughout the week. There is an 11v11 full size pitch which is maintained to the highest standard, and 4 other junior pitches that can be used for small sided games and training drills. The Academy also has to hand 1x full sized grass pitch, and 3 other smaller sided grass pitches where lots of techniques and training drills can be carried out.
Our club house was funded by the Football Foundation, and opened by ex professional footballer Gavin Sutton.
Inside our club house we have a canteen, a communal hall, male/female/disabled toilets, 4 full sized changing rooms with hot showers, and two officals changing rooms (1x male, 1x female). To the rear of the club house we have a paved seating area where you will find picnic benches and some free green space.
Using evidence to feedback to athletes helps them to understand exactly what they have done to be successful or unsuccessful. This knowledge helps athletes and coaches make the right decisions at the right time and deliver consistent performances.
Strength and conditioning are essential components of football performance. A strong, well-conditioned athlete is more likely to perform well on the pitch, avoid injuries and recover faster from them.
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Strength training is an essential component of football performance. It helps to build muscle mass, increase power and improve overall athleticism. To build strength, football players should focus on exercises that target the major muscle groups, such as the legs, core and upper body.
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In addition to strength training, conditioning is also important for football players. Conditioning helps to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance and overall stamina.
FOOTBALL
TRAINING
Holbeach United Football & Education Academy is committed in their endeavour to identify talented boys and provide quality coaching combined with a relevant education package, in order to produce young men of integrity and the ability to play football at their own individual highest possible level. We do not keep or hold back players from playing for other local non-league clubs...in fact, we encourage it as we want them to go as high as possible within the football ladder.
MISSION
We pride ourselves on the quality of the coaching programme we have developed and we attempt to challenge our academy players technically, tactically, physically and psychologically. We take a holistic approach to coaching where we try to identify strengths and weaknesses of all our players and improve all aspects of their game by giving them the tools to identify both and recognise the pathway to improve both.
TECHNICAL
DEVELOPMENT
All our players will work on improving all aspects of their technical ability from their first touch to passing on to more complex skills. This is done on a daily basis with an element of technical development incorporated into all training sessions with an emphasis placed on quality and repetition to help develop good habits that will in time become permanent. We recognise that every player's development is unique and that all players will develop at a rate that on the whole is directly proportionate to the time and effort they are prepared to put in themselves. We encourage peer support within our players and ensure we set smart targets to help players achieve.
TACTICAL DEVELOPMENT
Part of our role is to develop our players so that they can play at their highest level in senior football. For the 2024/25 season, we are beginning our very own journey in mens football, starting at the bottom of the non-league football pyramid in step 7. Therefore, this team will be a 'student athlete team', where only students can be part of the team by either being on our college or university programmes. We as management know the playing style in wish we wish to utilise in senior football, so our academy staff will develop our players accordingly. As part of our player's tactical development however, we look to play different formations throughout the time the players spend with the Academy and challenge our players to understand the game better. We will use video analysis as a tool to help with the understanding of the game and we hope to be able to break the game down with analysis of players' strengths and areas for improvement.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
We take our fitness, strength & conditioning at Holbeach United Football & Education Academy very seriously and pride ourselves on the fitness levels that our teams possess. We feel that fitness is something that is only limited by the level of effort that you put into it, and we ensure that no one we play is fitter, faster, stronger, or more conditioned than us. We have our very own, on-site strength & conditioning suite at our campus, and our players are put through their paces in the team/group plans, and also their individual tailored sessions. Players are challenged to keep themselves in peak physical condition by hitting nationally recognised physical targets set by industry professionals. Our players will be pushed particularly during the pre-season element of our training cycle. Every player will be given their own individual weight training programme that is tailored to their particular needs and runs in parallel with the conditioning cycles that our coaches have in place. Each player will be set short, medium and long term physical goals and will follow micro, meso and macro cycles throughout the season.
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
Sports psychology is a skill that the best athletes have managed to use to their benefit. We will try to give our young players the tools to help them cope with the highs and lows of football and education at this level. It is our job to identify those who are strong characters and encourage them to help develop those who are not as strong as themselves. We believe in a strong team ethos and we try to impress upon our young players that although their own development is very important to us, the team is the common denominator and we encourage our players to discover their role within the team and develop their psychological strengths and weaknesses from there. We realise that there will be peaks and troughs in young players' development and we are conscious of how we manage these extremes in a player's development.
FOOTBALL
COMPETITIONS
The whole idea of the Academy is to give EVERY footballer/learner the opportunity to play and train to develop as a player in all the physical, technical, tactical and psychological aspects of the game.
AOC SPORT
EAST MIDLANDS
CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL 1
This league is a Category 2 league and opponents include Academies that are linked to semi-pro & professional football clubs, but also many are run by ex professionals.
NATIONAL YOUTH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
There are many big and prestigious clubs within our league:
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Steven Gerrard Academy, Guiseley AFC, Chesterfield FC, Mansfield Town FC, Lincoln City, FCV Grace Dieu, Solihull Moors FC, Bradford Park Avenue AFC, Macclesfield FC, Leeds United, Cambridge United and many more.
This is a brilliant league to be part of if challenge and growth is what you aspire to achieve to reach your dreams.
THE YOUTH
FA CUP
A fantastic opportunity for our youngsters to showcase their talents and play against some of the best up and coming players across the country.
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August 2022 was the first time our Academy entered The Youth FA Cup, and we got through the 'Extra-Preliminary Round', but were sadly beaten in the 'Preliminary Round' by Long Eaton United.
