JHF ACADEMY
YOUR JOURNEY STARTS HERE.
I’ve played the game. I’ve lived the highs and lows. Now I want to help the next generation go further.
JHF Academy is a player development pathway for young footballers who want to develop, compete, gain experience and create opportunities to take their football further.
This isn’t about creating another grassroots team.
It’s about creating an environment where players can become better footballers, better athletes and better people.
BUILT FROM EXPERIENCE.
FROM NEWCASTLE. FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
JHF Academy isn’t built from theory.
It’s built from real football experience.
I’ve spent 10+ years playing professional football, experiencing different clubs, levels, environments and challenges throughout my career.
But my football journey started right here in Newcastle.
I came through Newcastle United’s academy and began my professional football journey in the city I now want to help develop the next generation in.
That’s what makes JHF Academy personal to me.
I was once the kid who was dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.
Now I want to use the experiences I’ve gained throughout my career to help young players from the area understand what it takes to develop, perform and progress.
10+ YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
100+ PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCES
NEWCASTLE UNITED ACADEMY GRADUATE
EXPERIENCE ACROSS MULTIPLE LEVELS OF THE GAME
PERFORMANCE-LED PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
A PASSION FOR HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION
I’ve been where they want to go.
Now I want to help them understand what it takes to get there.
THIS ISN’T JUST FOOTBALL TRAINING.
A player doesn’t become better simply by doing more drills.
They become better by understanding how to use what they’ve developed when the game gets difficult.
At JHF Academy, we bring together the different areas that contribute to developing a complete footballer.
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
Ball mastery, passing, receiving, finishing, 1v1 ability and technical execution.
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
Speed, agility, coordination, strength and conditioning, power and movement qualities that transfer onto the pitch.
DECISION MAKING
Learning to react, adapt and make the right decision when situations change.
POSITION-SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT
Understanding the demands of your position and developing the qualities required to perform.
MENTALITY
Building confidence, discipline, resilience, consistency and accountability.
MATCH EXPERIENCE
Putting development into practice against different players, teams and styles of football.
TRAIN FOR THE GAME.
NOT JUST FOR THE DRILL.
Anyone can look good when there’s no pressure.
The real test comes when you’re tired.
When a defender is closing you down.
When you’ve got one second to make a decision.
When the game doesn’t go how you expected.
That’s why we want players to understand:
WHAT to do.
WHEN to do it.
WHY they’re doing it.
And ultimately…
HOW to execute it when it matters.
Because football isn’t performed in a perfect training environment.
The game is unpredictable.
Your development needs to prepare you for that.
FROM TRAINING…
TO COMPETITION.
TO EXPOSURE.
TO OPPORTUNITY.
JHF Academy is being built as a player development pathway.
Players will have the opportunity to train, develop and then test themselves in different football environments.
JHF Academy will create opportunities for players to experience football against:
Strong local grassroots teams
Development teams
Local academies
High-level youth opposition
Other established football programmes
Potential academy environments where appropriate
The aim isn’t to promise every player a professional contract.
The aim is to give players meaningful experiences, challenge them and create opportunities that can help them progress.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR CLUB.
JHF Academy isn’t designed to replace a player’s existing football club.
Players can continue playing for their current teams while using JHF Academy as an additional environment to develop their game and gain further experience.
We’re focused on developing the individual player, not simply creating another team.
WHO IS JHF ACADEMY FOR?
THE PLAYER WHO WANTS MORE.
Maybe you’re already playing football every weekend.
Maybe you’re playing for a local grassroots team.
Maybe you’re playing for a strong local side.
Maybe you’re involved in an academy.
Maybe you’re just starting to realise how seriously you want to take your football.
Wherever you are in your journey…
if you want to improve, we want to help you.
JHF Academy is initially focused on players 9 year old’s to 16 year olds.
JHF Academy isn’t looking for players who think they already know everything.
JHF Academy is looking for players who are:
COACHABLE.
HARD-WORKING.
DISCIPLINED.
COMPETITIVE.
WILLING TO LEARN.
You don’t have to be the finished product.
You just need to be willing to work towards becoming it.
WHAT MAKES JHF ACADEMY DIFFERENT?
JHF Academy isn’t just interested in simply filling an hour with football drills.
Every part of the programme will have a purpose.
A technical exercise should improve something that can be used in the game.
Athletic development should help a player become more effective on the pitch.
Decision-making should prepare players for situations where there isn’t time to think.
Match experience should challenge players to apply what they’ve learned.
And every session should contribute towards the bigger picture:
DEVELOPING THE COMPLETE PLAYER.
MORE THAN A FOOTBALLER.
Football is bigger than what happens for 90 minutes on a Saturday.
The habits young players build through football can stay with them for life.
Discipline.
Confidence.
Resilience.
Consistency.
Accountability.
Teamwork.
JHF Acadey want to help develop young people who understand that progress doesn’t happen overnight.
It comes from showing up, putting the work in and being willing to improve.
THE JHF ENVIRONMENT.
I don’t want JHF Academy to simply be somewhere players turn up, train and go home.
I want it to become a community.
A place where players:
Train alongside other ambitious footballers
Push one another
Compete with one another
Build confidence
Learn from mistakes
Celebrate progress
Develop strong habits
Take responsibility for their own development
Everyone will have a different starting point.
Everyone will have a different journey.
But the standard remains the same:
GET BETTER.
THE LONG-TERM VISION.
JHF Academy starts with player development.
But the vision is much bigger.
JHf Academy want to build a pathway that connects:
PLAYERS
↓
DEVELOPMENT
↓
COMPETITION
↓
EXPOSURE
↓
OPPORTUNITY
As the Academy grows, JHF Academy will build relationships with clubs, academies and organisations that can provide meaningful opportunities for our players.
The goal is to help young footballers get seen, get challenged and get opportunities to progress.
Not every player will follow the same path.
Not every player will become a professional footballer.
But every player should have the opportunity to find out how far they can take their game.
THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS.
You don’t need to know exactly where football will take you.
You just need to be willing to start the journey.
Train with purpose.
Challenge yourself.
Learn from every experience.
Keep progressing.
READY TO TAKE YOUR GAME FURTHER?
If you’re a young footballer who wants to improve, challenge yourself and see how far you can take your football, JHF Academy could be the next step.
JHF academy is looking for players who are:
Committed.
Coach-able.
Hard-working.
Competitive.
Willing to learn.
You don’t have to be the finished product.
You just need to be willing to work towards becoming it.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
Complete the enquiry form below and tell us about the player, their current football experience and what they want to achieve.