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The Midlands' First Chelsea FC Development Programme
Malvern College
⚽ Prestige Partner School
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The Midlands' first Chelsea Football Club Development Programme, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18, built on Chelsea's coaching methodology alongside a full Malvern education
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Twelve football teams, national cup football in the ISFA and ESFA competitions, and a UEFA A Licence coach on the coaching staff
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A full boarding school founded in 1865: 75% boarders across 11 Houses, more than 45 nationalities, and a choice of the IB or A levels in the Sixth Form
About the school
Malvern College
Malvern College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school founded in 1865, on a 250-acre campus at the foot of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. Around 75% of pupils board, so the campus stays busy at weekends, and every pupil, boarder or day, belongs to one of 11 Houses: six for boys and five for girls. Each House has its own Housemaster or Housemistress, tutors, kitchens and common rooms, and Sixth Formers usually have their own rooms. More than 45 nationalities are represented, and the school says no single international community dominates. Lower School classes average 16 to 18 pupils. In the Sixth Form, pupils choose the International Baccalaureate or A levels, with BTECs available; Malvern was one of the first schools in Britain to offer the IB, at the start of the 1990s. In 2026, 100% of its IB candidates achieved the diploma with an average of 36 points, 73% of A level and BTEC grades were A* to B, and 53% of GCSE grades were 9 to 7. Leavers go on to universities including Oxford, Imperial College London, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Durham, UCL and the LSE, and abroad to McGill, TU Delft and IE Madrid. The Headmaster is Keith Metcalfe, and the College's prep school is The Downs Malvern.
Heritage
Malvern College opened in 1865, when Malvern was a fashionable spa town, with two dozen boys and half a dozen masters. In 1939 the government requisitioned the College for the Admiralty and the school moved to Blenheim Palace; later in the war it was evacuated again, to Harrow, to make way for the Telecommunications Research Establishment, which developed radar on the Malvern site. The College became co-educational in 1992.
Football Programme
The Chelsea FC Development Programme
Malvern College is the first school in the Midlands to offer a Chelsea Football Club Development Programme: a selective pathway for ambitious boys and girls aged 13 to 18, built on Chelsea's coaching methodology and woven into a full Malvern education. It is not a full-time academy. Players stay fully part of school life, study for GCSEs, A levels, the IB or BTECs, and keep representing the College in fixtures. As Director of Sport Mark Hardinges puts it, “Young people should never have to compromise between an exceptional education and pursuing their sporting ambitions.” Each week, players follow a development schedule covering technical and tactical coaching, strength and conditioning, speed and agility, recovery and mobility, sports psychology, nutrition, match analysis and performance feedback, with leadership and resilience workshops and an individual development plan for every player. Places are selective: players are assessed on ability and potential, attitude, coachability, athletic potential and academic commitment. The programme launched in September 2026, with selected current pupils starting from January 2027 and the first new pupils joining in September 2027, so families applying now are part of the very first intake. Younger players can start even earlier, as The Downs Malvern, the College's prep school, runs the programme for Years 7 and 8. The link with Chelsea goes back generations: the Mears family, who founded the club and owned it until the early 1980s, educated many family members at the College.
Around the programme, Malvern runs six Senior boys' teams, four Junior boys' teams and two Senior girls' teams. Seniors play three times a week in the autumn and spring terms, with a co-curricular club twice a week. In the autumn, the boys' and girls' 1st XIs enter the ISFA U18 Cup and Shield and the English Schools' FA U18 Cup; the spring is the main season, with up to 12 teams playing in a week, and the Girls' 1st XI competes in the ISFA National 7s. Football at Malvern is led by the Director of Football, working with UEFA A Licence coach Mr Harris and specialist coaches, and the most advanced players get performance analysis, strength and conditioning, GPS monitoring and individual development planning. Talented players can also train and play for Worcester City FC and Leigh & Bransford FC, and trial for the ISFA representative team.
Outstanding Facilities
- A 250-acre campus beneath the Malvern Hills
- Multiple pitches, courts and a fitness centre
- Sports Complex, opened in 2009
- Water-based artificial hockey pitch
- Two match-standard rackets courts
- Cricket pitches and indoor training facilities
- More than 20 sports on offer
- GPS monitoring and performance analysis for advanced players
- 11 boarding Houses with their own kitchens and common rooms
Pathway
Football Without Compromising Education
International families usually start the process 12 to 18 months before joining. After an enquiry and, ideally, a visit, families register and send the two most recent school reports; entrance tests, including English, and the interview can all take place online. Successful applicants are then assessed for the Chelsea FC programme. Sport Scholarships worth up to 15% of fees are offered at 13+ and 16+, with practical trials and an interview, and means-tested bursaries are available to UK-based families. The programme is selective, so families are encouraged to register early for the first intake in September 2027.
First intake September 2027Boys and girlsBoarding and dayIB or A levelsSport Scholarships at 13+ and 16+Online assessment45+ nationalities
Accolades
Track record
The Midlands' first Chelsea FC Development Programme2026: 100% IB diploma pass, average 36 points2026: 73% A* to B at A level and BTEC2026: 83% A* to B equivalent across IB, A level and BTEC2026: 80% of leavers offered their first-choice universityUEFA A Licence coach on the football staffOne of the first UK schools to offer the IBTalk Education Awards 2024: joint winner, Support for Life Beyond School
Location
Malvern, Worcestershire (West Midlands)
Nearest cities
Worcester approx. 11 miles, Hereford approx. 21 miles, Cheltenham approx. 25 miles, Birmingham approx. 39 miles
Nearest stations
Great Malvern approx. 1 mile, Worcestershire Parkway approx. 12 miles
Nearest airports
Birmingham (BHX) approx. 46 miles, Bristol (BRS) approx. 74 miles
Long-haul
London Heathrow (LHR) approx. 122 miles
Distances are approximate driving distances.
Fees
Investment
Boarding, Year 9
£61,170/year
2026/27, non-UK residents, inc. VAT. £20,390 per term
Boarding, Years 10–11
£62,970/year
2026/27, non-UK residents, inc. VAT. £20,990 per term
Boarding, Sixth Form
£63,990/year
2026/27, non-UK residents, inc. VAT. £21,330 per term; Pre-Sixth at the same rate
Chelsea FC programme
£7,000/year
Inc. VAT, Years 9–13, on top of school fees
Entrance deposit
£17,615
Non-UK pupils. Registration fee £310, non-refundable
EAL support
£68
Per 50-minute individual lesson, if needed; group lessons cost less
These are the 2026/27 fees the school publishes for non-UK resident boarders, including VAT; UK-resident rates are lower. Sibling discounts of 5% and 10% apply. Confirm all fees with Malvern College admissions before any decision.
Next Steps
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