Best UK boarding schools for girls’ football

Are you motivated to join a girls' football team? The England Women's Football team winning the 2022 Euro championship marked a turning point for women's football. As a female-founded and female-led company, we recognise the significance of this incredible and historic achievement.

The team has inspired thousands of girls around the UK, but this is just the beginning. The Lionesses (as the team are referred to) believe that every girl should be able to play football at school - and educational institutions around the UK are gradually starting to make this a reality.

• In partnership with Barclays and the Youth Sport Trust, the Football Association (FA) has started collaborating with schools across England, to give girls equal access to football.
• The Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) is making changes too. They are committed to developing the game and providing cup competitions for girls so that they can play competitively against other schools.

At this incredibly exciting moment, we've put together a list of some of the top UK boarding schools for girls' football. Now is the time to join the team at a UK boarding school and be part of the change!

Bede's School

Bede's School is a co-educational Senior and Prep boarding school in East Sussex, England, offering a top quality education up to exam levels of GCSE, A Level and BTEC. Football is a popular sport at the school, with approximately one third of the student population regularly representing the school. The Girls Football programme runs year-round, with training sessions taking place once a week in the Autumn and Winter terms. In the Summer term, sessions take place twice a week with a former professional footballer.

Some current female students at Bede's play for the nearby Brighton and Hove Ladies semi-professional team. Furthermore, the girls' teams at Bede's compete in the ISFA cup. They achieved ultimate success by winning the cup in 2017/18. Join the team at Bede's School.

Claremont School

Claremont School is situated in East Sussex, England and is a co-educational Senior and Prep boarding school. The school offers GCSE, A Level and BTEC exams. Claremont believes that football should be accessible to everyone and their Football Academy coaches young footballers from around the globe. The school's excellent sporting facilities include more than 50 acres of grass pitches and pupils participate in strength, conditioning and fitness sessions, alongside their football training. Football coaching never coincides with teaching, so students are able to train without having to miss lessons and fall behind in class.

Girls who participate in Claremont's Girls Football Academy train for approximately 6-7 hours each week, and as the number of participants grows, these hours are likely to increase. The Director of Claremont's Football Academy is a Premier League scout and has contacts with the England team and in other countries. This provides an excellent and exciting opportunity for pupils demonstrating talent and promise. Get your football boots on at Claremont School.

Millfield School

Millfield School is a co-educational Senior and Prep boarding school in Somerset, England. It is one of the UK's largest boarding schools and offers pupils GCSE, A Level and BTEC qualifications. The school has a reputation for being one of the best sporting schools in the country - football is no exception! Young female footballers at Millfield have the chance to train 6 times a week - more than most female football clubs. Pupils on the Girls Football programme learn from an experienced full-time girls' football coach, with both individual and team coaching sessions available.

Facilities include 11 full-sized pitches and 3 training areas, and students also have access to physiotherapists. Girls' teams enter cup competitions and more than 100 girls in the Senior school play football. This is in stark contrast to the 6 girls who played football at Millfield in 2018. Millfield has made great progress for female football and the school sets an example for others to follow. Start your football career at Millfield School.

Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate

Queen Ethelburga's is a co-educational Senior and Prep boarding school in England. Situated in York, it offers pupils the GCSE, A Level and BTEC qualifications. The school is known for its fantastic academic results, winning Times Top 10 school for A Level performance and Times Top Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence North for four consecutive years.

QE is also known for its state of the art football facilities - 30 acres of professional grass and 3G artificial pitches. In 2023, the Sports Department split the boys' and girls' football Performance Sport Pathways, providing girls with a dedicated coach. The girls each benefit from an Individual Development Plan - tailored programme focusing on their nutrition, strength and conditioning, sports massage, physical training and mental training. QE welcomes external coaches from scouts and industry professionals for sessions. Kick off your football training at Queen Ethelburga's.

Repton School

You can find Repton School in Derbyshire, England. This is a co-educational Senior and Prep boarding school offering GCSEs and A Levels. The school is best known for its excellent football, tennis and hockey academies, boasting two floodlit water-based astroturf pitches.

Football is a "focus sport" at Repton during the Winter term, and is open to both boys and girls. Repton School has a highly experienced football coach for girls, who currently plays for Stoke City Women's Football Club. Developing and increasing the provision of girls' football at Repton remains one of the school's top priorities. Learn from a female football professional at Repton School.

Contact us now if you are interested in starting your football career at a UK boarding school.