Facilities & Locations

Facilities shape the daily experience of academy life. The biggest European academies usually combine sporting, medical, educational and residential services on one site or across closely linked sites. This guide describes the facility types most commonly found and then sets out where each featured academy is based. Provision changes over time, so confirm current details with each academy.

Facility types

Training pitches

Most academies have several full-size pitches, often mixing natural grass and artificial surfaces, along with smaller areas for small-sided games and goalkeeper work. Artificial pitches allow training in poor weather; natural grass is preferred for many matches.

Indoor halls and gyms

Indoor spaces support strength and conditioning, injury prevention and winter training. Some sites include indoor artificial pitches, which are particularly useful in colder climates such as Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

Sports science and medical

Physiotherapy rooms, rehabilitation areas and performance-testing spaces are common. Staff may monitor growth, fitness and training load, and support players returning from injury.

Residences

Boarding facilities house players who live too far away to commute. La Masia, the Bayern Munich Campus, Sporting CP's Alcochete academy and the Benfica Campus all include residential accommodation, and Clairefontaine's pre-training programme is residential during the week.

Education and analysis

Classrooms or study areas support schooling, often in partnership with local schools. Video-analysis rooms allow coaches and players to review matches and individual performances.

What to look for

• Whether facilities are used by the player's age group, not only by senior or older teams.
• How schooling is organised and where lessons take place.
• What medical and welfare support is available day to day.
• Supervision arrangements in residential accommodation.

Locations

Clairefontaine National Football Institute — France

In Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, in the forested Rambouillet area roughly 50 km south-west of Paris. The site is also the national teams' training base.

Ajax Academy — Netherlands

At Sportpark De Toekomst in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, close to the Johan Cruijff ArenA and well connected by public transport.

La Masia — Spain

At the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despí, in the Barcelona metropolitan area, where the Centre de Formació Oriol Tort residence is located.

Sporting CP Academy — Portugal

In Alcochete, across the Tagus estuary from Lisbon, reachable from the city via the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

Bayern Munich Campus — Germany

In northern Munich, not far from the Allianz Arena, bringing the club's youth teams together on one purpose-built site.

Red Bull Salzburg Academy — Austria

In the Liefering district on the edge of Salzburg, close to the German border, with facilities for football and ice hockey.

Dinamo Zagreb Academy — Croatia

In Zagreb, the Croatian capital, where the club's youth teams train and compete.

Benfica Campus — Portugal

In Seixal, on the south bank of the Tagus opposite Lisbon, within the Lisbon metropolitan area.

Anderlecht Academy — Belgium

At Neerpede, a green, semi-rural area in the Anderlecht municipality on the western edge of Brussels.

Living and travel

Location affects daily life as much as facilities do. Sites on the edge of large cities, such as Seixal, Alcochete and Sant Joan Despí, offer space for pitches but may mean longer journeys for day players. Families considering any academy should think about commuting time, language of schooling, climate and the distance from home, particularly for younger players.

Location summary

Next, read how players are selected in the Admission & Selection guide.