MNUFC’s Academy program starts at the U15 level, but talent identification starts far sooner. That’s where our Pre-Academy program comes in. This program is for players between the U11 and U14 age groups, enabling our club to identify and cultivate talent as players get closer and closer to Academy soccer.
The program itself incorporates a series of Discovery ID periods, where any player within the designated age group is welcome to attend. These periods are broken into three sessions across three weeks, giving our licensed Academy staff and some part-time coaches the chance to see each age group play three times. Then, 30-35 players are selected from each group to join the Pre-Academy.
Pre-Academy groups essentially give coaches a longer period of time to get to know players, with the eventual aim of identifying which players they’d like to invite to join the Academy at the U15 level. Through a series of training sessions, they get to see how each player performs, interacts, and competes. Players are able to and encouraged to continue playing for their local clubs while participating in our Pre-Academy.
