Southampton FC Tryouts & Club Guide: History, Stadium, Players, and More!
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Southampton Football Club is an English professional football club based in Southampton, Hampshire. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football.
Southampton FC Youth Development System
Southampton FC Academy
Our academy vision is to produce a first team year-on-year made up of 50% Academy graduates who are world-class in their technical ability on the field and behaviours off the field competing on the European stage.
We have built our club on sound business principle, and the Academy and development of young players is part of that business plan. We have a philosophy that drives the development of young players because we want a team with young, home-grown players. Southampton Football Club is proven in its success at turning young potential into excellence. Over the last four years, this pathway has produced the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Luke Shaw, Harrison Reed and Calum Chambers.
Recognised as one of the leading academies in the country by holding Category 1 status in the Premier League’s new Elite Player Performance Plan, we operate a clear pathway through our youth system and into the first team. Historically, our Academy has produced players year-on-year for Southampton Football Club and contributed significantly to international teams, including the current England sides across all ages and as well as the senior team.
Today we can count more than 20 international players across the Academy from under-15 to the under-21 age groups. The Academy has always prided itself on developing not just young footballers but fine young men that will represent Southampton Football Club in the right way, on and off the pitch. This holistic approach forms the basis of our success in achieving a high percentage of productivity from our Academy system going onto senior football in the Premier League.
Our club philosophy remains to produce at least 50% of our first team playing squad from the Academy. The Academy will play an attractive brand of football, consistent through all the age groups and offer a culture which has education at the forefront whilst maintaining the highest standards of integrity and honesty amongst the people who serve within it.
Our players are at the centre of everything we do – our focus is to help them reach their full potential. The staff are highly committed and professional; the environment is world-class with our new training ground facilities we have just opened; and the opportunity to play in our first team is a realistic one.
Matt Hale – Academy Manager
Trails With Southampton FC
Like most clubs, we have a network of scouts who work for the club on a local, national, and international basis, as well as other contacts. The scouts look at players from under-6’s up to professional levels and will make recommendations on players that we may consider to invite for a trial.
It is important to note that any Southampton Football Club Scout that approaches a player will have appropriate ID. Any approach from someone purporting to be from the club, but who does not have sufficient ID should not be taken seriously.
If you are approached and are unsure of the validity of the approach, please email the club at trials@saintsfc.co.uk and someone will be in touch as soon as possible.
Can I write in to be invited to an open trial?
At present it is not our policy to hold open trials. We always watch players at their local club/school based on recommendations before inviting them in for trial. Any player writing in for a trial to our email trials@saintsfc.co.uk should always include a fixture list for their teams along with directions and anything else that might help (e.g. club and player contact number). They should also write about their football background including information such as DOB, position, approx. height and weight and the club/s played for. Any representative honors such as schools, district, county etc should also be included.
How can I be sure that my talent has not been overlooked?
Rest assured, with literally thousands of scouts representing the various clubs, if you have the required level of ability, you should be spotted. Our scouts may or may not be wearing club branded clothing. Many people don’t think they have ever had a scout at their games when in fact just the opposite could be true.
I have waited years to be spotted. Should I give up?
Within reason it’s never too late. Some players mature later than others, and lots of top class professionals have entered the game at a relatively late stage. Keep playing the highest standard of football possible, and never give up hope, above all always try your best as you never know who is watching!
Due to the high levels of correspondence we receive, we are unable to enter into communication and respond to everyone. Please do not repeatedly contact us, as we will keep your trial request on our files and will either be in touch or come along to one of your games if we feel you have the qualities and skills we require.
Southampton FC Recruitment Trials
At the time of this writing, there is no official publishing’s on Southampton FC trials, although there is a form you can fill out for interest. Please click here to visit Southampton’s official academy web page to access the form.
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Stadium
Since August of 2001, the Saints have called St. Mary’s Stadium their primary playing venue. It is one of only a few of stadiums in Europe to achieve the criteria for UEFA’s Four Star rating, and it has a capacity of 32,689 spectators. In addition, a number of international competitions have taken place within the stadium. The stadium’s all-time attendance record stands at 32,363, which was achieved in April 2012 during a match between Southampton and Coventry City.
The Dell served as the venue for Southampton’s home games from 1898 right up until 2001. In its 103 years of existence, the purpose-built stadium has undergone a number of renovations. For example, two of the stands had to be fully rebuilt following fires, and in 1950, it was the first pitch in England to have permanent floodlighting installed. As a result of the Taylor report, The Dell was transformed into an all-seater stadium.
As a result, the stadium’s capacity was reduced to about 15,000 people, making it the smallest ground in England’s top-flight, which ultimately led to the club’s relocation to a new location. The club’s previous home grounds were the Antelope Ground from 1887 to 1896 and the County Cricket Ground from 1896 to 1898 before it moved to its current location in The Dell. The Staplewood Campus, which houses the club’s training facilities, can be found near Marchwood, just on the border of the New Forest. The existing facilities were inaugurated in November of 2014 at a total cost of around 40 million pounds. The primary structure of the club was given the name Markus Liebherr in honor of its late owner.
The Saints’ Under-21 side will play its games at Eastleigh F.C.’s stadium, Ten Acres, beginning in the 2012–13 season and continuing through the conclusion of the 2013–14 season. This arrangement was reached with Eastleigh F.C., which plays in the Conference South at the moment. This further strengthens our relationship with Eastleigh, which has been going strong for the past ten years. This partnership, however, came to an end, and Southampton’s youth teams continued to play at Staplewood and St. Mary’s until the 2019–20 season, when some U23 cup games were scheduled to be played at A.F.C. Totton’s Testwood Stadium, which is also where Southampton F.C. Women play their home matches. Before that, however, Southampton’s youth teams continued to play at Staplewood and St. Mary’s.
Crest
At one point in time, the club’s logo was identical to the one that was used for the city itself. On the other hand, in the 1970s there was a contest to see if supporters could come up with a new design. The winning design, which was created by Rolland Parris, was utilized for approximately twenty years before the winning design was slightly modified by the Southampton design agency The Graphics Workshop in the 1990s for issues related to copyright.
The halo is a reference to the team’s nickname, which is “Saints,” the ball is a reference to the character of the club, the scarf is a reference to the fans, and the colors represent the team. The tree is meant to symbolize both the adjacent New Forest and Southampton Common, while the water is meant to symbolize Southampton’s connections to the rivers, seas, and oceans. Below it is a white rose, which serves as the emblem of the city and can also be found on the coat of arms that represents the city.
Because of copyright concerns, the ball was updated in the middle of the 1990s so that it no longer has a vintage look (like the balls that were used in the 1960s) and now has panels that are black and white. The official crest for the 125th anniversary was revealed on May 13, 2010, and it read as follows: “The black outline and halo feature will now appear in gold, whilst the all important years 1885 and 2010 are scripted either side of the shield, with the figure 125 replacing the ball.” (The black outline and the halo feature will now appear in gold.) During the 2010–2011 season, the badge was used on Southampton’s home and away shirts.
