The purpose of The Football Association Programme for Excellence is to identify players of outstanding ability and place them in a technical and educational programme designed to produce football excellence in conjunction with personal development.
The Hull College Girls’ Centre of Excellence, which represents girls within the East Riding, has been operating successfully for four years, with the first competitive season in 2004. The centre, funded by the FA, is operated by Hull College and is based at the Learning Zone within the KC Stadium. The centre has to meet strict criteria outlined by the Football Association, as this is the pathway that future England Internationals will come through.
The aim of the Centre is to identify and train elite players of the future and potential England internationals. Top players in each age group will get an opportunity within the season to attend one of the regional camps that are taking place across the country alongside fixtures that have England scouts present. These camps will act as a focal point for England selection for girls from the U14 and U16 age categories. During the season of 07/08 an U16 player was selected for the National U17s England training camp and it is hoped that others will follow in the future.
The centre has teams at U10’s, U12’s, U14’s and U16’s. Girls train twice a week on Monday and Wednesday nights on the 3G pitches at Longcroft School and Hull University, with weekly fixtures being played on Saturdays between September and April. Matches are played against other centres of excellence such as North Riding, West Riding, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Liverpool and Everton. All coaches are a minimum FA Level 1 qualified. Each age group however has 2 coaches, one of which is either at a Level 2 or 3 standard.
The unique relationship between the centre of excellence and Hull College offers players an exit route at age 16 into further education whilst still providing a high quality football playing opportunity where players can be monitored closely.
Clubs, schools and parents have the opportunity to nominate players for Centre of Excellence trials.