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Kent's Emerging Talent Centre

EMERGING TALENT CENTRE 

In July 2022, the Kent FA was one of only five County FAs to be awarded funding to start a new girls' Emerging Talent Centre (ETC), which will see the number of young female players engaged in FA programmes across the county rise by the end of the 2023-24 season.

The Kent ETC is currently for girls playing in U13s, U14s, U15s and U16s football. Our ambition is to provide additional elite coaching with the ambition to signpost players to the FA Player Pathway - Discover My Talent.

In August 2022, we successfully recruited our ETC team and kick-started the player trials at three venues across Kent in September. The 13th of October 2022 saw the official programme launch, with over 80 players recruited joining our coaching team to share the journey.

Year 2 kicked off in September 2023 with 110 players registered to the centre including the addition of an U13s age group.

We have a new home at Aylesford FC where our weekly training sessions take place on the 3G pitch on a Friday evening.

Meet the team!

  • Katie Whitmore: Centre Manager
  • Zach Foster-Crouch: Player Development Lead and Goalkeeper Coach
  • Karl Davy: Head Coach for the U16s
  • Ben Franks: Head Coach for the U15s
  • George Kingdon: Head Coach for the U14s
  • Jill Oliver: Head Coach for the U13s
  • Jess Flisher: Support Coach for the U14s
  • Andrew Norton: Physiotherapist

What will the players experience?

  • Weekly training sessions with UEFA-qualified coaches training amongst the top talent in the county. 
  • Fitness testing using elite equipment and facilities at Canterbury Christ Church University. 
  • Performance-based workshops covering topics such as psychology & nutrition.
  • Varied format games programme with GPS Data vests and performance analysis.

For more information regarding our Kent Emerging Talent Centre, please get in touch with Rebecca Moore, Football Development Officer (Women & Girls) at Rebecca.Moore@KentFA.com

PROGRAMME PARTNER

Canterbury Christ Church University

Canterbury Christ Church University is a key partner in the delivery of the ETC. The partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University will provide access to elite equipment and facilities at the new Verena Holmes Building and Polo Farm Sports Club.

It will offer specialist staff to support the girl's holistic development throughout their time on the programme. The University will provide direct sports science support from academics, exposure to specialist strength and conditioning training, workshops, fitness testing and performance analysis to complete the experience for the players.

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PlayerData

PlayerData is the GPS Analysis Partner for the Kent ETC, enabling the ETC team of coaches to monitor and evaluate core metrics that improve these performances.

As one of our partners, PlayerData have special offers for the Kent football community.