Southfields Academy: 2017

AFC Wimbledon and Southfields Academy have forged an exciting new partnership to offer promising 16-year-olds a great opportunity to develop their footballing talents.

As well as boosting your football skills, successful completion offers a superb 3 x A-level equivalent and university entry level education.

The new partnership with Southfields will allow players to train three times a week with our professional academy coaches and be educated all on the same site, utilising excellent facilities at Southfields Academy, which is situated close to Plough Lane.

Your Career To celebrate our link-up with Southfields Academy, we’ve put together a video and this can be viewed on our official You Tube channel by clicking on

“We’ve been talking to Southfields for a few months now about how we can work together and we’re delighted to roll-out this new Football & Education Programme with Jackie and her team. It was clear from minute one that Southfields really look after students and work hard to get the best for them. This fits in with our core values so I’m very confident about the quality of the programme the boys will receive next season.” Jeremy Sauer, AFC Wimbledon Academy Manager, said:

We’re looking to recruit around 24 players for next season. Ideal candidates must not only be talented footballers, but also be dedicated to their education and have a good attitude while representing the club and Southfields Academy. Those who make the grade will be part of an excellent programme and play games against the likes of Chelsea, Watford, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Reading and Leyton Orient. The recruitment process has already begun with trials before Christmas, but there are more planned in February half-term – details below.

It is paramount that we equip these young men with the skills they need whichever path they choose to take in their futures. It is really important to recognize the relationship between success at football and in education. “We are very excited about our partnership with AFC Wimbledon. Jackie Valin, Southfields Academy Principal, said:

I can see that this is the beginning of a long lasting and positive relationship between Southfields Academy and AFC Wimbledon.” “We are looking forward to seeing the young men doing really well in both their football and their academic studies and will work together to do all we can to ensure this happens.

The next trials dates are Sunday 21 February 2016 at Southfields Academy.

collegefootball@afcwimbledon.ltd.uk You can apply by e-mailing

Please include your full contact details (address, phone numbers etc), your date of birth, favoured position on the pitch and predicted GCSE grades.

Sunday, 9 July 2017

Dons announce official partnership with Southfields Academy to develop stars of the future

AFC Wimbledon have officially launched a partnership with Southfields Academy that could develop potential stars of the future.

Dons chief executive Erik Samuelson said: “We have been working together for some time now with Southfields Academy and this is the next exciting development.

Erik Samuelson with Southfields Academy head teacher Jacqueline Valin

“Scholars from our club will be doing a BTEC as part of their education and obviously learning football skills. This is what modern football clubs do and we are doing it too.

“Even though I think we are better than many clubs at it, there are a significant number of boys who are not going to make it to the first-team and we have to make sure they are adequately educated. They have to be taught values and brought up in the right environment so that when they move on they are better fitted for the world.

“That’s an important part of our role and the academy team, led by Jeremy Sauer, are excellent at it.

“I lived about half a mile from here for ages and I never realised what a phenomenal place it is. It has great facilities. We’ve had a good month with the launch of this partnership and the Secretary of State making the right decision about the new stadium.”

Sauer said: “This is a club-wide launch, which focuses on providing good educational opportunities for our young footballers. We are always examining how we can move forward as an academy. If you have a pot of money, it is quite easy, but we don’t. We’ve therefore tried to be creative and looked at how we can get marginal gains in terms of what we do.

“We’ve looked at sports science and our football coaching, but this obviously focuses on education, and we’ve looked at how we can improve that. Southfields is on the doorstep of Plough Lane and with the great facilities it has got and the duty of care its staff show to our players, this is a big step forward.”

Dons chief executive Erik Samuelson, AFC Wimbledon foundation director Kay Skelton and academy manager Jeremy Sauer joined Southfields Academy head teacher Jacqueline Valin all attended the launch event.