AFC Sudbury Academy are holding open training sessions for the 2018/19 season at under 16 level in association with Ipswich Town's Academy Elite Programme.

Players at the OPEN TRIALS will be scouted and selected by ITFC and AFC Sudbury staff, and will be coached by ITFC as part of their Elite Training Programme. The selected players will be playing as members of AFC Sudbury U16 EJA, and the team will run as AFC Sudbury (falling under all their Rules & Regulations). There will be a subscription fee payable to AFC Sudbury, as with all other teams within the club.

· Tuesday night sessions at AFC Sudbury will commence in July 2017 with a full Pre-Season Programme of Training and Games, running through to mid-May 2018. Friday night sessions at Playford Road begin in September.

· Home U16 EJA fixtures will be played on the 4G pitch at AFC Sudbury.

· A competitive games programme through the EJA League, which is the source of most of ITFC’s recruitment from U13’s onwards.

· Inclusion in the Suffolk FA Youth Cup, The EJA League Cup and the EJA Midweek Floodlit Cup.

· Taking part in ITFC Elite fixtures as the ‘Elite U16’s’, playing all the professional clubs in the Eastern Games Programme (Norwich, Colchester, Cambridge etc.) as well as the following clubs; Reading, Coventry City, Northampton Town, Wycombe Wanderers, Swindon Town, Luton Town, Fulham, Oxford United, MK Dons, Stevenage Borough, Woking Town, Brentford Town

· The opportunity to be invited to Ipswich Town Academy for games/training if ITFC feel the player has shown the necessary progression/improvement.

· AFC Sudbury run a Further Education Program for boys between the ages of 16-19, and also run sides at U18, U21, Reserve and First Team level.

Training will remain free of charge, as with the normal ITFC Elite programme.

The U16 age group train twice a week; once at AFC Sudbury's state of the art 3g stadium pitch, and once at the Ipswich Town Training Ground (Playford Road).

The U16s will represent Ipswich Town Elite during half term fixtures and other friendly games during the season. This will give the players upwards of 10 additional games.

This partnership has seen seven AFC Sudbury Academy players sign for the Ipswich Town Academy in just two seasons.

The under 16 team will be led by Craig Power; a UEFA B licensed coach and also the holder of the FA Youth Award. As well as working for ITFC Craig also works full time for the AFC Sudbury Academy and a number of the selected under 16s will progress into our full time academy at Sudbury.

Players will also have the opportunity to represent AFC Sudbury U18's in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League and will also be signed to play adult Reserve Team games for AFC Sudbury when they turn 16.

Danny Laws, AFC Sudbury Academy Manager - "This is a great opportunity for elite standard footballers to join our Academy programme a year earlier and experience what it is like to be an AFC Sudbury Academy player"

Phil Beale, Ipswich Town Academy Head of Recruitment Operations - "This an excellent programme that offers a high standard of coaching in outstanding facilities at both AFC and Playford Road, as well as a competitive games programme representing both clubs."

The open training sessions will take place at AFC Sudbury in early June.
To apply for a trial please send a brief football CV to academy.afc@gmail.com