12
PW-U12
FOUNDATION
Under-12 Pathway
The foundation year. Ball mastery, four-corner assessments, and a weekly tactics session built around how the first team plays. Cohort of 22.
Load
6 hrs / wk
FIXTURE — PITCH ONE · FRI 19:45
WEEK 34 / 42GATE 7 · OPEN 17:30STREAM · CH-07
KICKOFF00:00:00●
Matriculation 2026 · OpenU12 · U15 · U18 · ReservesTrial · 2 Oct
A team that
thinks faster
than it runs.
Pitch is an elite football academy and tactical studio in East London. Four pathways, a goalkeeper school, and a fixtures list that starts under lights on a Friday. We teach the game the way we want it played: upright, curious, and a half-second ahead.
- GRADUATES
- 43
- ACTIVE PLAYERS
- 284
- SEASONS RUN
- 14
- PITCHES ON SITE
- 3
Kinship with
La MasiaClairefontaineCobhamDe ToekomstCovercianoBurnley GawthorpeCiutat EsportivaCarringtonLa MasiaClairefontaineCobhamDe ToekomstCovercianoBurnley GawthorpeCiutat EsportivaCarrington
SECTION · 01 · PathwaySix programmes.
Six programmes.
One institution.
Every pathway runs on the same timetable, the same chalkboard, and the same standard of coach. A U12 session and a reserves drill are taught by people who speak to each other daily.
Handbook
15
PW-U15
DEVELOPMENT
Under-15 Pathway
Positional education. Each player learns two positions and the handovers between them. Video study every Monday, fixture review every Sunday.
Load
10 hrs / wk
18
PW-U18
ELITE
Under-18 Pathway
The bridge to senior football. Full-time training with a scholarship track, individual development plans, and matchday integration with the reserves.
Load
20 hrs / wk
R
PW-RES
SENIOR
Reserves & First Team
Professional contracts, National League South, UEFA B minimum for every coach. First-team match nights are where pathway graduates prove the work.
Load
Full-time
1
PW-GK
SPECIALIST
Goalkeeper School
A standalone academy for keepers. Distribution, set-piece command, and footwork under pressure — coached by a former FA National Coach Educator.
Load
4 hrs / wk
A
PW-ANAL
STUDIO
Tactical Analysis Studio
Open to academy players and outside clubs. Opposition breakdown, set-piece libraries, and a weekly pattern-of-play clinic on the chalkboard.
Load
By session
SECTION · 02 · MatchdayA matchday,
A matchday,
by the clock.
The scripted rhythm of a first-team fixture. Published so every family can follow the plan from the living room — or better, from gate seven.
Fixture · FX-214Live
PITCH 1
vs. Evesham Town U18
Kick off
19:45
Temp / Wind
9° · 12 NE
Formation
4 · 3 · 3
Referee
Bäckström
DIAGRAM · STARTING SHAPE · PHASE 1
09:00STEP 01 / 6
Walk-through
The room before the pitch. Set-pieces drawn on the board. First and second phase, defensive shape, two reminders of the opposition's weak side.
11:30STEP 02 / 6
Activation
Twenty-minute technical circuit on pitch two. Passing ladders, shot stopping, decision drills. The ball never stops rolling.
13:45STEP 03 / 6
Team sheet
Line-up confirmed, captain briefed. Bench roles assigned with a clear why. Subs rehearsed on a miniature board like tabletop chess.
14:30STEP 04 / 6
Kick off
Ninety minutes. The staff watch three things: shape off the ball, first touch under pressure, and who wants the second phase.
16:05STEP 05 / 6
Full time
The whistle is not the end. Cool-down, hydration, clip capture within five minutes. The tactical team already has the review queued.
19:00STEP 06 / 6
Debrief
A seventy-minute review on the chalkboard. Three clips. Three decisions. Individual development plans updated before anyone leaves.
SECTION · 03 · The ledgerNumbers kept honest by
Numbers kept honest by
the scoreboard.
Statistics we publish quarterly, audited by two independent league bodies. Organic numbers — no rounded vanity figures. Minutes are minutes.
| # | Line | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Graduates into senior football | 43 |
| 02 | Training hours logged | 3287 |
| 03 | Academy retention | 94% |
| 04 | International caps held by alumni | 117 |
| 05 | First-team minutes from graduates | 38410 |
| 06 | Scholarships awarded | 62 |
| 07 | Coach-to-player ratio | 16 : |
| 08 | Opposition reports filed | 214 |
SECTION · 04 · StaffEleven names on
Eleven names on
the board.
The coaching staff arranged in the formation they teach. Hover — or tap — to read each coach's file.
01
Iker Etxeberria
GK · #01
Iker Etxeberria
Goalkeeping Director
Athletic Bilbao, 14 yrs
02
Mateo Okonjo
DEF · #02
Mateo Okonjo
Full-back Coach
UEFA Pro · Celtic youth
04
Rhea Oduya
DEF · #04
Rhea Oduya
Head of Defending
England U17 · UEFA A
05
Casper Ødegård
DEF · #05
Casper Ødegård
Centre-back Specialist
Rosenborg · 11 caps
03
Luana Vicente
DEF · #03
Luana Vicente
Full-back Coach
Sporting CP youth
06
Ousmane Diakhaté
MID · #06
Ousmane Diakhaté
Midfield Pattern Coach
Rennes academy, 9 yrs
08
Noa Ben-Ari
MID · #08
Noa Ben-Ari
Head of Academy
Hapoel · FA Advanced Youth
10
Teodora Jankovic
MID · #10
Teodora Jankovic
Transitions Coach
Red Star B · MSc Sport Science
07
Malik Tshabalala
ATT · #07
Malik Tshabalala
Wing Development
Kaizer Chiefs · 8 yrs
09
Bruno Leclair
ATT · #09
Bruno Leclair
Striker Development
Lille academy · UEFA Pro
11
Kenji Tanabe
ATT · #11
Kenji Tanabe
Finishing Coach
J-League youth · 12 yrs
01
Iker Etxeberria
Goalkeeping Director
Athletic Bilbao, 14 yrs
02
Mateo Okonjo
Full-back Coach
UEFA Pro · Celtic youth
04
Rhea Oduya
Head of Defending
England U17 · UEFA A
05
Casper Ødegård
Centre-back Specialist
Rosenborg · 11 caps
03
Luana Vicente
Full-back Coach
Sporting CP youth
06
Ousmane Diakhaté
Midfield Pattern Coach
Rennes academy, 9 yrs
08
Noa Ben-Ari
Head of Academy
Hapoel · FA Advanced Youth
10
Teodora Jankovic
Transitions Coach
Red Star B · MSc Sport Science
07
Malik Tshabalala
Wing Development
Kaizer Chiefs · 8 yrs
09
Bruno Leclair
Striker Development
Lille academy · UEFA Pro
11
Kenji Tanabe
Finishing Coach
J-League youth · 12 yrs
SECTION · 05 · Alumni voiceFrom the dressing room,
From the dressing room,
after the whistle.
Quotes collected by our academy registrar, printed verbatim in the 2025 yearbook. Full reports available on request.
QUOTE · 01 / 4CERT · VERIFIED
“I came through the U12 programme and left at twenty-one with a senior contract. The people who taught me the game never spoke in cliches.”
Arjun Shetty
Graduate '19 · Millwall FC · England U20
QUOTE · 02 / 4CERT · VERIFIED
“They film everything, but they don't hide behind the screen. You sit with the coach, the clip plays, and he asks you what you saw. Then he tells you what he saw.”
Lior Mendes
Graduate '22 · Maccabi Tel Aviv · Israel U21
QUOTE · 03 / 4CERT · VERIFIED
“My son did not make the senior squad. He did leave with a scholarship to Loughborough and a written plan that two other clubs recognised on sight.”
Dr. H. Carvalho
Parent of '23 graduate
QUOTE · 04 / 4CERT · VERIFIED
“Most academies talk about pathways. This one has a building, a calendar, and a staff room where my coaches and my tutors actually know each other.”
Siena Ward-Muir
Graduate '21 · Reading Women FC
SECTION · 06 · QuestionsQuestions that come up
Questions that come up
at the registrar's desk.
Every pathway runs two open trials per year — October and April — by registration only. A fifty-minute technical assessment, a thirty-minute small-sided game, and a short conversation. You hear back in seven days.
REGISTRATION · OPENBook the
Book the
trial.
Four open sessions this autumn. Fifty-minute technical, thirty-minute small-sided, one conversation with the pathway lead. Register below — we reply within seven days with a slot, a kit list, and a map.
OPEN DATES
02 OCT
GATE
SEVEN
DURATION
120 MIN
KIT
BOOT + SHIN