REMAINING SPACES
For 2024-25 season
👉 All spaces correct as of 11th September 2024 👈
OUR CHILDREN'S FOOTBALL TEAMS
For 2024-25 season
WHAT MAKES OUR CLUB SPECIAL?
Here at SZ United FC we want to make your child's first football team a lifelong memory where they will make friends, develop as a footballer at their own pace, and enjoy a football environment that is centred around children and NOT adults 💭
⭐️ We believe that the right football team environment will have a long lasting effect on your child's long term development as they grow into adulthood - teaching togetherness, how to be confident and most importantly teaching great social skills ⭐️
📍 Top facilities - training home ground
⚽️ Train twice per week + matches on weekend
💻 Easy monthly payments
⭐️ Partnership with an Italian Serie C club
🙂 Syllabus designed to improve footballers, teamwork, and social skills
👍 UEFA Qualified senior management team
⏩ Player pathways supporting your football journey no matter your ability
💙 A focused activity for your child to be part of long term
MORE ABOUT OUR CLUB!
TRAINING GROUND
We train at two nearby venues:
📍Monks Hill Sports Centre
Farnborough Avenue
South Croydon
📍Royal Russell School
Coombe Lane, Croydon, CR9 5BX
HOME GROUND
Our home ground is located at:
Beddington Park Cricket Club
Church Road
Wallington, SM6 7NH
PRO CLUB PARTNERSHIP
We are the only club in the UK to be partnered with an Italian SERIE C football club, Catania Football Club Lab!
This partnership provides exciting opportunities and experiences for our players under their pro guidance, and opportunities to train overseas.
UEFA MANAGEMENT TEAM
Our senior management team; Ashley Thomas, and Valentino De Luca are both UEFA B licensed coaches who design and implement our programme to the entire club.
CATANIA FC LAB
EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIP ✅
We are exclusively partnered with Catania FC in the Serie C to provide some amazing opportunities and experiences for our footballers.
All of our players receive the following:
⚽️ Coaching by Catania FC coaches once per season
⚽️ Exclusive 3 day intensive football clinic coached by Catania FC coaches
⚽️ Opportunity to attend an international camp in Italy with players from around the world
⚽️ An opportunity to enjoy an exclusive SZ United camp in Italy
PLUS
Our managers and coaching team receive:
✅ A coach development evening led by their professional coaches
✅ Regular online webinars and CPD's
It is an exciting time to be part of our club as we offer opportunities others simply can't!
Does Your Club Have This Experience Leading It?
We are passionate about making a difference in children's lives through football! The club has been built through everything we have learnt through our own experiences growing up playing, and years of coaching children!
ASHLEY THOMAS
CHAIRMAN / FOUNDER
Ashley is the founder of our children's focused football club.
His goal is to create a positive child focused football environment where children can thrive!
A Uefa B Licensed coach, passing this course at the young age of 20, his experience includes working for Fulham FC Academy with their u9s and u10s, and Chelsea FC in their foundation department.
As well as managing and overseeing our football club, he is also the Director of Croydon's biggest football programme; Skillz UK Ltd.
His day to day operations in the club include working closely with our Academy Manager to implement improvements and the direction of the club.
BEN SMITH
ACADEMY MANAGER
Ben has been part of our club since its inception, being an age group manager for a number of seasons.
He shares the same coaching belief as us - that children's football should be focused on the children we coach, and individual success is defined differently by each individual child.
Ben took over our Academy Manager role in at the end of 2023, and has already had a great impact on our managers and players.
He works closely with our chairman and coach developer daily, to ensure the environment we create for all involved is an amazing one.
Ashley Gumbrell
COACH DEVELOPER
Ashley joined us in January 2024, and what an amazing addition he is to our club!
His focus is to be support for the managers of each age group, and the coaches from Skillz UK who deliver our technical nights. The goal with Ashleys role is a simple one - to get the clubs participants fully aligned with our philosophy through coach development and syllabus expansion.
He is a lecturer in performance football coaching at St Mary's University, as well as being a UEFA C License Tutor for The FA.
He holds the UEFA B License and FA Youth Award with 17 years coaching experience under his belt.
