At the Exeter City Academy there are three-tiers of Player Progression Pathway, which allows players to develop at their own speed and progress to the next level if and when they are ready.
Initially, players will begin at one of our Advanced Development Centres (ADCs) located around the South West of England. ADCs are devised for talented young football players from the age of 6 to 14. The ADC’s are located in Dorset (Dorchester), East Devon (Axminster), Exeter & Mid Devon (Cranbrook), North Devon (Barnstaple) and Somerset (Bridgwater).
Forming the next tier within our Player Progression Pathway, we also work closely with the Exeter RTC who compete in the Junior Premier League. The Exeter RTC is situated in Exeter and beyond the RTC is the full Academy.
Training at the ADCs and the RTC takes place once a week, as we encourage players to also continue training and playing matches with their grassroots club.
Academy scouts regularly visit these centres to assess player levels in addition to communicating with coaches within the player pathway on player progression.
The top tier of the player progression pathway is the Academy itself. Players within the Academy train and play exclusively for Exeter City (School/District football is also encouraged) with the aim of becoming well-rounded young men and, hopefully, Exeter City First Team players.
George Friend was the first player to develop through the club's player progression pathway, attending the Barnstaple ADC before progressing all the way through to the first team.
George was then sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers, making his debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford, before going on to captain Middlesbrough in the Premier League.