Scholarship Types
Funding Your Football Education
Football scholarships for international students work the same way. Overseas applicants are generally considered for the same awards as UK pupils, judged on ability and potential rather than nationality. What changes is the logistics: assessment days have to fit around travel, some schools ask for video before inviting a player to trial, and means-tested bursaries are where the rules for overseas families differ most.
Sports Scholarships
Performance-based awards covering 10–50% of fees for exceptional footballers who demonstrate talent, commitment, and sportsmanship.
Academic Scholarships
Merit-based awards for students who excel academically. Many football-focused students combine academic and sports scholarships for greater fee reductions.
Bursaries & Means-Tested
Financial assistance based on family circumstances, often covering up to 100% of fees. Available at many of our partner schools for families who qualify.
Selection
What Schools Look For in Scholarship Candidates
Scholarship assessments go beyond footballing ability. Schools evaluate attitude, coachability, academic potential, and character. Candidates typically attend a trial day involving match play, skills testing, and an interview. The strongest applicants show dedication both on and off the pitch: they are team players with a genuine desire to learn and improve.
Your Journey
The Scholarship Application Process
Scholarship questions
Football scholarships: what families ask
How much of the fees does a football scholarship cover?
Usually part, not all. Sports scholarships commonly reduce fees by 10% to 50%. Means-tested bursaries, which depend on family income rather than ability, can cover up to 100% at some schools, and some families hold both.
What happens at a scholarship assessment?
Typically a football trial, fitness testing and sometimes an interview, alongside the school's usual academic entry requirements. Schools are looking for potential and attitude as much as a player's current level.
When should we apply?
Most applications go in nine to twelve months before a September start, with assessments and offers six to nine months before. Popular year groups fill earlier than the deadlines suggest, and in-year places can move faster.
Is a school football scholarship the same as a club academy scholarship?
No. A school football scholarship reduces school fees. A club academy scholarship is a contract a professional club offers some of its own players at 16, usually for two years. They are different routes, and some players hold a school place and an academy place at the same time.
Scholarships
Find out what your child could realistically be offered
Awards vary by school and by year, and the honest answer depends on your child's level and your timing. We will tell you which schools are worth an application and which are not.
Free to families. We are paid by schools on enrolment.