Football

Millfield Football provides students with engaging, challenging and fulfilling opportunities. By emphasising development and personal growth, we holistically support young players throughout their time at Millfield. Programmes provide training and playing opportunities across each season which are supported by highly experienced and qualified coaching staff as well as a multi-disciplinary team that deliver physical development, player and match analysis and sport psychology.

Football is the largest participation sport across both genders at Millfield with almost 400 players taking part each year. Millfield Football has established itself as an academy-level development opportunity for both male and female players. The programmes, staff and world-class facilities provide students with every opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Catering for all

Our programmes from Year 9 to Upper Sixth provide competition opportunities for all, from recreational to high ability groups, through a structure that incorporates house, local and regional opposition, leagues and national cup competitions across both our boys’ and girls’ offer.

Millfield uses a late specialisation model which allows students to participate in a multitude of other sports including athletics, hockey, swimming, rugby, cricket and netball.

Our students are exposed to coaches and athletes who encourage improvement, development and participation, with a matched challenge environment which allows students to mix with like-minded individuals.

Our programmes

The Senior Boys, Junior Boys and Girls are led by full-time coaching staff. Each cohort are provided with a series of relevant programmes (performance, development and participation) to support players and their ongoing development.

• Performance – aimed at our intentional ‘High ability - High commitment’ performers from Year 9 to Upper Sixth. The programme provides individual development opportunities, squad training sessions, competitive fixtures against regional and national opposition, and a multi-disciplinary programme delivering physical development, player and match analysis and sports psychology. This programme provides both ‘stretch’ and transition opportunities into elite player pathways in the male and female game, as well as into competitive UK and US universities.
• Development programmes – the opportunities provide our students with access to three training/playing opportunities each week throughout Term 1 and 2. The development opportunities are supported by our coaching staff and teacher-coaches. The sessions provide regular coaching and playing opportunities against local and regional opposition in league and cup competitions.
• Participation programmes – these programmes exist for those players who enjoy their football with friends and peers. Regular weekly training and internal fixtures provide students with the chance to participate in their sport in a fun, engaging and competitive way.

All our players are monitored and reviewed during the season with either IDP’s (Performance) or termly reports (Development and Participation) completed by coaches and shared with parents.  

Facilities

Our excellent facilities (11 full-sized pitches, goalkeeper training pitches and multiple training areas), and full-time UEFA A and UEFA B licenced coaches as well as our specialist teacher-coach workforce, help us support 20 teams across four-year groups.

Competition

We access local, regional and national competition opportunities through ISFA, ESFA and The FA providing right and relevant challenges for our players. Alongside national fixtures, Millfield Football arrange international tours, with students gaining both football and life experiences. Recent destinations include Holland, USA, South Africa and Spain.

In recent years, the programmes have seen national success with the Senior Boys taking home the ISFA National 2020 title, the ESFA B Team Cup 2024 and the Junior Girls U15s were national finalists in the ISFA Cup 2024.

Player development

In the past three years, 14 girls and 24 boys have made various ISFA representative teams with two female players gaining international honours with the England and Wales Youth Squads and five boys representing English Schools' international teams.

Development links and transition opportunities continued for both male and female players into professional clubs and the emerging talent pathways with two boys and one girl gaining professional contracts with two Premier League teams and one WSL team.

Numerous students gain places with USA universities at NCAA D1, D2 and D3 programmes as well as places at Russell Group universities.

Notable alumni including England and Aston Villa Central Defender, Tyrone Mings, with others currently playing League 1, League 2 and the National League in the men’s game and WSL in the women’s game.