England Colleges Representative Teams
England Colleges representative teams have been operating for over 25 years providing a unique and exciting opportunity for talented male and female footballers to perform at international level representing their country through domestic and international fixtures.
Our Ambitions
The England Colleges National Team programme represents the pinnacle of college football. Our men’s and women’s 11v11 representative teams exist to:
We aim to:
- Develop an aspirational representative football programme that allows every player to reach their potential.
- Develop an effective system which allows players in full-time further education to represent their country, access a unique and high quality experience and gain meaningful minutes that add value to their existing club and further education football.
- Identify players within further education football with outstanding ability and place them in an environment designed to produce football and educational excellence, raising their aspirations to progress further with their studies and football.
- Identify coaches and workforce with high potential working within the FE sector.
- Track the progression of players, coaches and support staff beyond their involvement with England Colleges and use their success as inspiration to future generations of players and workforce.
- Work with key partners and sponsors to ensure the long term progression and sustainability of the England Colleges programme.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the programme is a combination of the high performance requirements expected of an England team integrated with education values. The infrastructure and delivery mechanisms in place to support this include:
Working with highly qualified and skilled coaches and expert staff
- Appropriate competitive fixtures against high-quality elite, national and international teams to provide players with meaningful minutes
- Embedding the England DNA
- Embedding a multi-disciplinary support programme embracing sports science disciplines
- Accessing high-quality facilities
- Utilising technology, innovation and educational concepts to inform programming
- Creating a culture of improvement and personal development
- Approaching player development holistically working in collaboration with players’ colleges, clubs, and where appropriate, The FA
Our Partner and Sponsor
Future Elite Sports are the Official Partner and Funder of the England Colleges National Teams; providing essential sponsorship which enables the England Colleges programme to run, as well as operational staff support to design the domestic and international fixture programme for both the men’s and women’s team.
VEO provide a portable and affordable solution that enables sports teams to record and analyse matches and training sessions without the need for a camera operator.
Physique have been supplying to medical professionals, consumers and elite sports teams for 25 years. Their product lines cover everything from sports first aid, hot & cold therapy, taping & strapping, supports & braces and more. To view Physique’s full range click here where you will also receive a 10% discount.
Serious Sport is a UK based sports company offering a quality range of branded and personalised clothing. They are now one of the fastest growing teamwear companies in the UK due to its philosophy of offering quality garments, backed up with unrivalled quality service at competitive prices.
Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.
ECFA Regional Officers
James Bennett
Stuart Horsfield
Harry Mates
Mo Hopkins
Leah Burridge
Joe McTiffen
How to join the team
Players: Players are considered across AoC Sport member colleges and associates through a two-phased trial process starting in October half-term. To attend, students must be nominated by their college. The college must be a member or associate member of AoC Sport in order for student nominations to be accepted. Nominations open in September and can be done online for members solely. If you have any questions please contact ian.barber@aoc.co.uk
Staff: If you are interested in joining the volunteer staff team please contact our National Football Development Manager with your CV and details on how you could contribute to the England Colleges programme.
Follow the latest news and updates on our social media channels.
2023-24 England Colleges Men's Football Squad
Following a successful trial, we are pleased to announce the 2023-24 squad:
Men’s National Team Staff
Men’s Programme Manager – Simon East
Men’s Head Coach – Darin Killpartrick
Men’s Assistant Coaches – Andy Jones
Men’s Team Physio – Kirsten Wing
Assistant Team Physio – Megan Roberts (Men’s and Women’s)
Sports Psychologist - Celine Plee (Men's and Women's)
Trial & Fixture Programme 2023/24
October 2023 (First Phase Trials)
Thursday, 26 October 2023 at Oaklands College, St Albans Campus
Friday, 27 October 2023 at SGS College Wise Campus
Monday, 30 October 2023 at Bishop Burton College
Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at Newcastle-under-Lyme College
Sunday, 12 November 2023 (Second Phase Trials)
Venue: Shrewsbury College
Sunday, 26 November 2023
Venue: Beaconsfield FC
Fixture: ECFA Men vs Future Elite Sports
Wednesday & Thursday, 13 & 14 December 2023
Venue: St Georges Park, Burton Upon Trent, DE13 9PD
Fixture: ECFA Men vs Independent Schools (ESFA)
Monday, 29 January 2024
Venue: Cirencester FC
Fixture: ECFA Men vs Forest Green Rovers
Sunday, 25 February to Friday, 1 March 2024
Tour: Roma Caput Mundi
Fixtures:
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Venue: Cardiff
Fixtures: ECFA Men vs Wales
Saturday, 19 April 2024
ECFA Presentation @ Nottingham National Championships
Previous Seasons
ECFA Women’s National Team 2023/24
Players are considered across the AoC Sport member colleges and associates through a two-phased trial process. All AoC Sport members and associates are encouraged to nominate players through our Naqoda site via their Club Administrator from September 2022 until the closing date.
The closing date for nominations is Friday, 14 October 2022, after which time you will be contacted with further details on the trial process.
If you have any questions regarding the football representative trials, please contact Ian Barber.
2023-24 England Colleges Women's Football Squad
Following a successful trial, we are pleased to announce the 2023-24 squad:
Women’s National Team Staff
Women’s Head Coach – Keith Boanas
Women’s Assistant Coach – Jenny Hinton
Women’s Assistant Coach – Charlie Bill
Women’s Team Physio – Becky Mayo
Assistant Team Physio – Megan Roberts (Men’s and Women’s)
Sports Psychologist - Celine Plee (Men's and Women's)
Trial & Fixture Programme 2023/24
October 2023 (First Phase Trials)
Thursday, 26 October 2023 at Oaklands College, St Albans Campus
Friday, 27 October 2023 at SGS College Wise Campus
Monday, 30 October 2023 at Bishop Burton College
Tuesday, 31 October 2023 at Newcastle-under-Lyme College
Saturday, 11 November 2023 (Second Phase Trials)
Venue: Shrewsbury College
Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Venue: Milton Keynes Central
Fixture: ECFA Women vs Bristol City
Tuesday & Wednesday, 12 & 13 December 2023
Venue: St Georges Park, Burton Upon Trent, DE13 9PD
Fixture: ECFA Women vs Independent Schools (ESFA)
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Venue: Boldmere St Micheals
Fixture: ECFA Women vs Army
February 2024
Tour: Il Calcio Rosa
Saturday, 19 April 2024
ECFA Presentation @ Nottingham National Championships