Checking a Football Academy's Club Relationship

Many football programmes mention a famous club in their material. That can mean anything from "the club runs this" to "we once hired a pitch near the club". This guide gives a vocabulary for the relationship and a way to check it. It does not name or assess any provider.

Five relationship labels

This directory uses the following labels. They are working terms, not legal categories.

• Operated by the club. The club runs the programme itself or through an entity it controls.
• Officially licensed. A club has granted a third party permission to run a programme under its name, on stated terms.
• Official partner. A commercial or development agreement exists, but the programme may still be run by someone else.
• Independent. No club link. FIFA's regulations call academies with no legal, financial or de facto link to a club "private academies".
• Not confirmed. The relationship has not been shown by documents. This is the honest label when evidence is missing, and it is not an accusation.

What FIFA's text recognises

Article 19bis of FIFA's regulations distinguishes two cases. Clubs that operate an academy, "within their own structure and/or through a separate entity with legal, financial or de facto links to the club", must report all minors who attend, whether or not registered with the club. Associations are to ask private academies to report the minors who attend. A club that wants to collaborate with a private academy must report the collaboration to its association, ensure the academy reports its players, and, before signing a contract, ensure the academy takes proper measures to protect and safeguard minors.

So the rules themselves expect a range of relationships and expect them to be declared. A provider with a real relationship should be able to describe it plainly.

Evidence worth asking for

• A named legal entity. Who is the company or charity that runs the programme, and where is it registered?
• The agreement type. Is it ownership, a licence or a partnership? Ask for the scope in writing: which age groups, which locations, which dates.
• Confirmation from the club. An email or statement from the club's own official contact, not only from the provider.
• Reporting. Ask whether the programme reports its minors to the relevant football association, as article 19bis describes, and who handles safeguarding.
• Safeguarding policy and a named lead. FIFA's article 19 duty of care applies to a club that has registered a minor; ask the programme how it protects children in its care.

We have not verified whether every association publishes its register of academies, so do not assume you can look a programme up. Ask the provider and, if needed, the association.

What proves nothing

• A logo or crest on a website. Anyone can place one; its presence does not show permission.
• A club shirt or kit. Kit can be bought or issued for a camp.
• A visiting coach. A coach who works or once worked at a club is a person, not an agreement.
• A rented stadium or training ground. Hiring a venue is a rental contract. It does not make the renter part of the owner.
• Photographs with players or staff. These show a meeting, not a relationship.
• "Pathway" language. The word carries no legal meaning on its own.

Questions to put in writing

1. Which legal entity runs the programme, and what is its address?
2. What exactly is the relationship with the named club: operated, licensed, partner or none?
3. Can the club confirm that directly?
4. Do any places lead to trials or registration? If so, on what rules and at whose cost? FIFA's article 19ter prohibits anyone subject to its statutes from requesting, offering or receiving payment connected to a trial, apart from the agreed trial conditions.
5. Who is the safeguarding lead, and what is the child-protection policy?
6. Where will the child live and who supervises them?

Minors travelling abroad

Under article 19, international transfers are only permitted if the player is over 18, with five exceptions. A family should not rely on a provider's reassurance about registration; ask which exception is claimed and who files for approval. For the UK, GOV.UK says the Child Student visa requires a licensed sponsor and an offer for a course at an independent school, and it does not cover further or higher education. A training programme that is not a school may not qualify, so confirm with the visa authority, not the seller.

Reading answers

Plain, specific, document-backed answers are a good sign. Vague answers, pressure to pay a deposit before documents, or refusal to let you contact the club are reasons to pause. The label "not confirmed" can stay on a listing until evidence arrives.

For how programme types differ, see Football Camps vs Academies vs Club Youth Teams.