

Our Under-18s team has been awarded an Erasmus+ grant from Ecorys UK, the National Agency for the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. This grant will allow our young players to train for 14 days at the Obertraun National Sports and Recreation Centre in Austria as part of their pre-season.

In addition to on-pitch work, the players will take part in additional learning modules on topics of primary importance. These include promoting dual-career opportunities for athletes, doping prevention and football’s power to act as a positive force against racism, homophobia, xenophobia and all other forms of discrimination.

The educational aspect will be shaped around the Erasmus+ principles, in particular the fight against early school-leaving, youth unemployment and low skill-levels in the adult population. It will reflect the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes and principles of mobility of people and workers, contributing to the taking down of cultural and linguistic barriers and the widening of working opportunities for the participants. Furthermore it will adhere to the vocational modules Chelsea Academy footballers are developing through their BTEC 3 – Diploma in Sport.

In the important modules on dual-career opportunities, the players will receive an insight into football-related careers such as physiotherapy, sport analysis and fitness coaching.