Young Women's Football Academy — Plymouth's First Independent All-Female Football Academy

Elite coaching for girls aged 8–14 in a safe, supportive environment where every player is encouraged to grow, develop, and fall in love with the game.

About the Academy

Where Girls Come to Play, Learn, and Thrive

Since launching, we’ve delivered over 180 hours of football training, helped more than 100 girls with their development, and successfully put three players forward for Plymouth Argyle trials — every one of them got in. One of our girls has also trialled for and been accepted into Torquay United’s squad. We’ve taken girls from just one year of football to trialling for Devon County and Plymouth Argyle. That’s what YWFA is about.

DBS checked

All coaches fully vetted

First Aid Trained

All coaches qualified

FA Level 1 to UEFA C

Fully qualified staff

Safeguarding Certified

Children cert. held by all

Argyle Community Trust

Official partners

Torquay United FC

officially affiliated to Torquay United Football Club

Our Sessions

More Than Just Football

Every 90-minute session is structured, purposeful, and built around what young female players actually need to develop.

Technical Skills

We cover the fundamentals — shooting, passing, movement, first touch, and positioning. Every drill is age-appropriate and designed to build real ability over time, not just fill 90 minutes.

Game Intelligence

Understanding the game is just as important as playing it. We work on tactics, reading the pitch, knowing when to press, when to hold, and how to make smart decisions under pressure.

Confidence & Communication

We talk about the things other sessions don't. Body language, how to use your voice on the pitch, how to encourage teammates, and how to back yourself even when things aren't going your way. Football is mental as much as it is physical — we develop the whole player.

A Structured 6-Week Rolling Curriculum

Unlike ad hoc sessions, every YWFA training block follows a deliberate 6-week structure. For the first five sessions we focus on one specific area of football — building it week by week through carefully designed drills. The sixth session is our Games Night, where we take everything learned and put it into practice in a fun, relaxed match environment. It’s structured enough to develop real ability, enjoyable enough to keep every girl coming back.

Sessions 1–5

Focused drills on one topic area, building progressively each week

Session 6

Games Night — all the drills in a fun, competitive match environment

Every 6 Weeks

New topic, new focus, continuous development

We Also Come to You — Training Takeovers

As well as our weekly academy sessions, YWFA runs training takeovers where we go directly into grassroots teams for a 4-week block. We work alongside existing coaches and players on specific areas the team wants to develop. To date we’ve supported 4 grassroots teams across Plymouth. If your team would like a YWFA training takeover, get in touch.

Player Success

From YWFA to Professional Trials

Welcome to Plymouth’s first independent all-female football academy — the Young Women’s Football Academy. We cater exclusively to girls aged 8–14, providing a safe, supportive, and elite coaching environment where young players can develop their skills and love for the game. Every one of our coaches is DBS checked, holds a Safeguarding Children certificate, is first aid trained, and carries a coaching qualification from FA Level 1 to UEFA C.

Our Coaching Team

Qualified, Passionate, and Dedicated to Every Player

Every coach at the Young Women’s Football Academy is fully vetted, certified, and committed to getting the best out of every girl on the pitch.

Our Partnership

Our Partners

Argyle Community Trust

The Young Women’s Football Academy is proud to be an official partner of Argyle Community Trust — the charity of Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

Torquay United FC

The Young Women's Football Academy is officially affiliated with Torquay United Football Club. This affiliation has already seen one of our girls successfully trial for and join Torquay United's squad.

Testimonials

A massive thank you to the Young Women's Football Academy. They have done wonders for my daughter's football. In a short space of time her technical skills have developed massively, but the biggest win has been her confidence. The coaches are patient, encouraging, and know exactly how to bring out the best in young players. She absolutely loves her sessions and has developed so much since joining.