Summer 2025 in Review: Arsenal Football Development Camps Across England

The pitches are quiet again. The boarding houses that were buzzing with a dozen languages just weeks ago are back to their term-time stillness. Another Arsenal Football Development summer is in the books, and it was one of the best we have run.

Across four boarding school venues in England, hundreds of boys and girls aged 9 to 17 from more than 60 countries spent their summers training with official Arsenal coaches, improving their English, and making friendships that will outlast the season. If your child was one of them, you already know. If they were not, here is what they missed.

Four venues, one standard

This summer's Arsenal residential camp programme ran at Clayesmore in Dorset, Worth School in West Sussex, Seaford College on the Sussex coast, and Oundle School near Cambridge. Each venue has its own character. Clayesmore is compact and community-driven. Worth sits in stunning grounds with a calm, countryside-retreat feel. Seaford brings coastal atmosphere and sea air. And Oundle, with its beautiful stone buildings and exceptional facilities, remains one of the finest school campuses in the country.

What unites them is the standard. Every venue delivers the same Arsenal coaching methodology, the same welfare structure, the same all-inclusive residential experience. The setting changes. The quality does not.

The coaching that shaped the summer

This is the part that matters most. Our coaches are not local PE teachers picking up summer work. They are official Arsenal Football Development coaches, qualified to UEFA B level or above, working at proper coaching ratios so your child gets genuine attention rather than standing in a queue waiting for a turn. Arsenal feature the residential programme on their own website, which speaks to the standard we hold ourselves to.

The methodology is rooted in the Hale End Academy's Young Gunners programme - the same development philosophy that shaped Saka, Smith Rowe, and the next generation coming through. That means passing, movement, pressing with intelligence, and playing out from the back. Students learn why Arsenal build from the goalkeeper, why positioning matters more than pace, and how to make intelligent decisions under pressure. It works for every ability level, from the child who plays twice a week at school to the one already in an academy programme back home.

What we saw this summer, again and again, was the transformation that happens when young players are given time and quality coaching. A student arrives on day one nervous, unsure of the standard, perhaps a little homesick. By mid-week they are trying new skills in matches and sitting with friends from four different countries at dinner. By the end of their second week, they are a different player. More confident on the ball. Braver in possession. Better at reading the game. That development is not accidental. It is what the programme is designed to produce.

Two programmes, two pathways

For international families, the English and Football programme remains the centrepiece. Fifteen hours of Arsenal coaching combined with 15 hours of English language tuition each week, delivered in British Council accredited small groups. The classes are properly structured, taught by qualified teachers, and designed to build real confidence in spoken and written English. We heard story after story this summer of students who arrived with only basic English and left happily chatting to their teammates in the boarding house. That kind of immersive progress is difficult to replicate in a classroom back home.

For those who wanted maximum pitch time, the Football Only programme delivered 30 hours of intensive coaching per week. Six hours a day, Monday to Friday. It is a serious amount of football, and the students who chose it threw themselves into every session.

Both options share the same coaching quality. The difference is simply how your child spends the other half of the day.

The bigger picture

Students from more than 60 countries trained together this summer, and that international community creates something that goes well beyond football. Children learn to communicate across cultures, to work with teammates whose first language is different from theirs, and to form friendships that stick. Group chats stay active long after the final session. We regularly see students return year after year, greeting friends from previous summers like they had never been apart.

A new season, a new feeling

Meanwhile, something rather exciting is happening at the Emirates. Arsenal have signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, and the early signs this season are very promising. After three consecutive runner-up finishes, there is a growing sense that 2025-26 could be the year everything comes together. The squad looks stronger and deeper than it has in years. Mikel Arteta's side are genuine title favourites, and the football they are playing suggests the wait might finally be over.

For the students who trained with us this summer, that connection to the club makes the experience more vivid. They are learning to play as Young Gunners, following the same philosophy driving a team that could be lifting the Premier League trophy come May. After three years of close but not quite, the excitement is palpable. Could this be Arsenal's year? Every Gunner watching certainly thinks so.

Looking ahead to 2026

We are already planning for next summer, and there is major news. Alongside Clayesmore, Worth, Seaford, and Oundle, we are announcing Haileybury as a brand new venue for summer 2026. Haileybury is one of England's most prestigious boarding schools, located just north of London with outstanding sporting facilities. Five venues means more availability, more date options, and a better chance of finding the perfect week for your family.

Early bird booking for summer 2026 is open now. If this summer taught us anything, it is that places at the most popular venues and weeks go quickly. Families who book early get the best choice and the best value.

Thank you

To every student who stepped onto the pitch this summer, every parent who trusted us with their child, every coach and staff member who made the programme run, thank you. It was a summer worth remembering. And with a fifth venue on the way and Arsenal looking like the team to beat this season, the Young Gunners experience in 2026 is shaping up to be even better.

We will see you next summer.