Our Mission
Academy
Standards
Respect
Discipline
Humility
In this Academy, as in life, we lead from our own behaviours.
It’s the way we show RESPECT: to ourselves, each other and everyone that comes into this Academy.
It’s by always demonstrating our DISCIPLINE: maintaining our efforts, energy and professionalism.
It’s by staying humble: showing HUMILITY by always being prepared to learn – so we can improve.
Our challenge to ourselves, each and every day, is to bring these standards to life through our choices and actions.
Our
Pillars
In a nutshell, the Pillars capture a set of performance outputs that cover everything required to develop a young person to be the best person and therefore best footballer they can be.
Our Pillars are:
- Lifelong Learner: Football Knowledge
- Champion Mentality: Football Leadership
- Most Efficient Mover: Football Fitness
- Effective Team Player: Football Performance
Any player that achieves their agreed performance levels, by age group, within every pillar earns the right to be called a Strong Young Gunner.
Explore more about each Pillar below.
The Effective Team Player Pillar is where learning, movement and mindset all come together and where they are applied in the football development of the player: in training and in games.
The Effective Team Player (ETP) Pillar is unique, as all the other Pillars feed into it. This Pillar is directly aligned with the requirements we have as a club in relation to playing style. It is equally important that this is the one Pillar that is most clearly relates to observation of what happens on the grass, during training and match play, focusing on how an individual player performs.
Effective Team Player centres on the ability of the person to perform effectively as a footballer.
We are nothing without knowledge – as players and people.
This Pillar is all about ensuring that our players develop the habit and desire to constantly acquire more learning- not only about the game and how it works but all aspects of developing themselves, their knowledge and understanding.
Lifelong learner is primarily about developing the intellect.
Football places some very specific demands on the body.
We’ve clearly identified, in line with our style of play, what we require from our players in an athletic sense, but this Pillar also extends into broader areas around nurturing and respecting one’s own health and physical development.
Most Efficient Mover focuses developing all round health and fitness.
We want this Academy to produce football leaders on the pitch, in the dressing room and in life.
The Champion Mentality Pillar draws from ‘The Only Way’
Everyone is different, but everyone has the ability to be a leader of self – to be the very best version of themselves.
This Pillar addresses how a player approaches their life, their mental skills, abilities and strength as well as their characteristics. It’s about how they develop themselves and challenge & care those around them: on and off the grass.
Champion Mentality emphasises developing character.
Pillars
Pillars
In a nutshell, the Pillars capture a set of performance outputs that cover everything required to develop a young person to be the best person and therefore best footballer they can be.
Our Pillars are:
- Football Knowledge: Lifelong Learner
- Football Leadership: Champion Mentality
- Football Fitness: Most Efficient Mover
- Football Performance: Effective Team Player
Any player that achieves their agreed performance levels, by age group, within every pillar earns the right to be called a Strong Young Gunner.
Explore more about each Pillar.
Lifelong Learner
Most Efficient Mover
Champion Mentality
Effective Team Player
