Ethos
Our Ethos
Skill development is at the core of our training approach. We prioritise the essential fundamentals of Defending 1v1, Attacking 1v1, Ball Protection, Passing & Sharing, Receive and Control. We firmly believe that if players can excel in their individual and collective 1v1 duels, they will achieve greater success. These core elements are integrated into every session we conduct, providing players with a solid foundation. Our structured and challenging environment offers valuable opportunities for players to refine these crucial skills.
While we cannot guarantee an academy trial, we are committed to offering exceptional training that will undoubtedly enhance your skills as a player. It is important for you to dedicate yourself and consistently give your best effort. We recognise your talent, but it will ultimately be your choice to embrace a learning mindset, work diligently, and never give up.
We are dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment where everyone can learn and develop.
Our Role In
“Aston Villa Football Club see the Gloucester Elite Performance Centre as a key foundation stone in their long term strategy of player development. Having worked with the centre for a number of years I have personal experience of the quality of the programme on offer. It has had great success in recruiting and developing professional football players. Our football club is committed to developing our own home grown first team players who can follow in the footsteps of Jack Grealish and Jacob Ramsey and we believe that the Gloucester Elite Performance Centre can play a pivotal role in achieving this.”
Mark Harrison
Aston Villa Academy Manager
Experts
Pathway Mentors
Our dedicated team of UEFA A and UEFA B licensed coaches are devoted to enabling players to thrive in a positive yet disciplined environment. The coaches at Gloucester Elite uphold the highest levels of professionalism and responsibility for the welfare of our players, ensuring they are always encouraged to reach their full potential as they pass through the development stages.
At Gloucester Elite Performance Centre, we recognise the importance for the young players in our care to aspire to be upstanding members of society and to have good values and standards as individuals within their communities. The qualities we actively encourage within our teams such as commitment, self-discipline, self-esteem, respect, loyalty and empathy are all qualities we believe will empower them throughout their lives and the impact they have on others, irrespective of their achievements as football players.
Paul Gardiner
GEPC Manager
Tony Whiting
Safeguarding & Player Care
Mo Soliman
Head of Medical
Coaching
Training Sessions
At Gloucester Elite our philosophy is to view each and every training session as an opportunity for players to feel inspired to be the best they can be.
Our ambition is for each individual player to reach their full potential by attending our training sessions. The sessions are designed to maximise our young people’s footballing ability, as well as delivering motivational and enjoyable experiences. We want to enable young people to grow to be outstanding footballers while still ensuring they understand their value goes beyond that.
Pathway
Player Development
It’s important players are not locked down into one playing position early in their footballing career. That is why, at Gloucester Elite, we actively encourage players to make their own decisions during games and play to what they see. We, of course, use our experience and knowledge to guide players for and in match scenarios but ultimately the challenges are for individual players and their team to solve and overcome.
Our approach is to allow players the freedom to identify what they did well and were pleased with – consider what they may have done differently – and any parts they will work hard not to repeat. Encouraging this level of thinking and self-evaluation for our players is ultimately what will enable them to make good, confident decisions during future games.
Our Role In
"Aston Villa Football Club see the Gloucester Elite Performance Centre as a key foundation stone in their long term strategy of player development. Having worked with the centre for a number of years I have personal experience of the quality of the programme on offer. It has had great success in recruiting and developing professional football players. Our football club is committed to developing our own home grown first team players who can follow in the footsteps of Jack Grealish and Jacob Ramsey and we believe that the Gloucester Elite Performance Centre can play a pivotal role in achieving this."
Mark Harrison
Aston Villa Academy Manager