Partnership means official academy trials for 2014/15
AFC Wimbledon has teamed up with the Pro Way Academy to widen the club’s search for young talent - and open trials are being held this summer to recruit potential stars of the future.
The Pro Way is a highly established academy which bridges the gap between grassroots and academy football. In the past year, AFC Wimbledon has signed seven youngsters from the Pro Way programme.
This partnership for the 2014/15 season will result in an official academy trials programme (dates at the bottom of this page) in the Surrey/Hampshire region and it will continue to provide player development opportunities for players within the club. Guildford-based Pro-Way has provided many players for AFC Wimbledon and is now recognised as a formal feeder centre for any player in the area to gain a trial with the club's academy.
The Pro Way Academy has been created by a group of world class coaches currently working in professional football to provide young players with the opportunity to access a high quality level of football coaching.
With a strong background in the local community and real emphasis on local talent, AFC Wimbledon offers a progressive academy programme in a family-orientated environment and the club was recently awarded category three status under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).
Drew Sherman, Managing Director at Pro-Way Academy, said: “I've known Jeremy Sauer (Academy Manager) and his team from our time as Aldershot Town's academy and have always kept a keen eye on the way AFC Wimbledon’s academy has developed under his guidance.
“There's no doubt AFC Wimbledon offer a real quality player development programme and an environment where young players are treated fantastically well. We are excited by the prospect of working closely with AFC Wimbledon in the future.”
Head of Talent Identification at AFC Wimbledon, Karl Sharman, said: “This link will strengthen the academy’s recruitment department and allow us to push more players towards the first team squad. This is an exciting time for the academy programme at AFC Wimbledon as we aim to establish more links with grassroots clubs and academies in the community.”
AFC Wimbledon and the Pro-Way Academy will be holding open trials later this month and during August.
The trials will take place in Guildford, Surrey, for the following age groups:
U-8-U10 - July 25th 2014
U11-U12 - August 8th 2014
U13-U14 - August 22nd 2014
Please note that the ages above are for the 2014/2015 season.
.Academy TrialsIn order for young players to register for the trials, a form should be completed, which can be accessed by clicking on