Supporting and trusting young people is embedded into the history and the culture of Manchester United and we are renowned worldwide as a leading youth development organisation. We operate a unique, age-appropriate programme and provide our players with experiences that will help them to understand the values of Manchester United, to grow and succeed in life, and to play professional football at the highest level. To do that, we employ experts with a wide range of skills both on and off the pitch. Our ambition is to be a true family and community Academy and to always act with honesty, integrity, respect and humility.
Everyone is well aware of the amazing Academy graduates who honed their skills within Manchester United’s world-leading youth development system. Players have won World Cups, Champions Leagues and Premier League titles. The Academy has an unrivalled record of developing players for a winning first team, with at least one graduate in the matchday squad for the last 85 years.
However, success for our Academy isn’t defined by the one-dimensional statistic of crossing the white line for a debut. There is also immense pride at the personal growth that is seen in young people as they strive to achieve excellence. While the Academy’s driving force is to develop players that are capable of playing in a winning United first team; the staff take great pride in supporting young people to achieve amazing things both in football and in adult life.
The Academy operates a programme which provides its players with experiences that will help them to understand the values of Manchester United, to grow and succeed in life, and to maximise their talents. Manchester United offers young people various opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have had the chance to experience, were it not for their association with the club.
Ultimately, the Academy creates memories that last forever, allowing young people to explore other countries and cultures, make lifelong friendships and develop a range of skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. Players have travelled all over the world on football, educational and cultural trips with groups visiting locations in America, Hong Kong, Germany, Austria, France, India, Singapore and many more.
Boys regularly have unique experiences that rarely occur in a formal education setting, such as meeting Formula One drivers, hearing the testimony of Holocaust survivors, learning from Apprentice participants, public speaking in front of thousands of people, visiting various historical landmarks such as Auschwitz, attending alternative sporting events and regularly meeting their footballing heroes.
The formal education of all Academy players is at the forefront of our programme, whether this is through the day-to-day support of designated members staff working with the players at partnership schools, or through regular communication with the schools that Academy players attend. Every effort is made to limit the time that players spend out of school, enabling them to enjoy the full experience of school life and an authentic childhood, while ensuring academic progress is unaffected by involvement in the programme.
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