Selby High School & York City FC Foundation Football Performance Centre
More Than Football - Developing players. Building brighter futures.
Selby High School provides a wide range of opportunities for students to discover their strengths, develop new skills and prepare for their future.
This year, we are delighted to launch our Selby High School & York City FC Foundation Football Performance Centre, in partnership with York City FC Foundation.
The programme is already off to a fantastic start, with our Year 8 girls taking part in coaching sessions every Wednesday morning (8.45–10.15am), followed by our Year 8 boys after school (3.10–4.00pm). Both groups will continue their sessions until February half-term.
Each group benefits from a full term of dedicated coaching, giving students the opportunity to develop their footballing skills, confidence and teamwork. Our Year 8 girls have particularly appreciated the support of their subject teachers in allowing them to take part during the school day.
Following October half-term, the Football Performance Centre will welcome the first of two Year 7 girls' groups, with opportunities for Year 7 boys and Year 9 students beginning after Christmas.
It's been wonderful to see the enthusiasm from our students so far, and we know the York City FC Foundation coaches are looking forward to working with even more of our young footballers as the programme continues to grow.
The partnership with York City FC Foundation aims to create a high-quality football development programme for young people in our local community, with the long-term ambition of becoming a centre of excellence for both girls and boys.
But this is about more than football. Alongside developing footballing ability, the programme will encourage students to become independent, self-motivated and confident young people.
Developing our young players
The Football Performance Centre provides an exciting opportunity for current Selby High students in Years 7–9 to develop their football.
Coaching sessions for selected Selby High students will take place on Wednesdays, with a focus on:
- Developing technical football skills
- Improving understanding of the game
- Challenging players to reach their potential
- Building confidence and resilience
- Developing independence and self-motivation
- Encouraging positive attitudes towards training and improvement
Working alongside experienced coaches from York City FC Foundation, students will be supported to develop both as footballers and as individuals.
Your game. Your development. Your next step.
Developing leaders
The Football Performance Centre also provides opportunities for our students to develop leadership and coaching skills.
Our Year 9 Enrichment session takes place every Wednesday and is a 1 hour 40 minute practical session for a mixed group of approximately 28 students.
The sessions focus on developing leadership, communication, teamwork and coaching skills.
While football can form part of the programme, the activities are not restricted to football.
Students will be given opportunities to develop transferable skills that can be used in school, sport, work and everyday life.
The aim is to help our young people become confident leaders who can motivate others, take responsibility and work independently.
Building a pathway into secondary school
The Football Performance Centre will also provide opportunities for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from local primary schools.
We want to create a strong pathway between our local primary schools and Selby High School, giving young footballers the chance to experience high-quality coaching, meet other pupils and become familiar with the opportunities available at Selby High.
Primary Football Festivals
Our first Primary Football Festival for Year 6 pupils will take place on:
Wednesday 21 October 2026
The festival will give pupils the opportunity to play, develop their skills, meet other young people and enjoy football in a positive and supportive environment.
If you come to Selby you get chance to train in the Performance Centre with the Coaches once a week for at least a term, during school hours!
Further information about future primary festivals and opportunities will be added to this page.
A partnership with York City FC Foundation
Our Football Performance Centre is being delivered in partnership with York City FC Foundation.
The Foundation's involvement brings additional football development expertise and supports our ambition to create meaningful opportunities for young people across Selby.
Together, we want to use football as a vehicle for personal development, leadership, confidence and community, as well as sporting excellence.
More Than Football
We want our Football Performance Centre to help develop:
⚽ Better Players - Developing technical ability, football knowledge and confidence.
🌟 Brighter People - Building independence, self-motivation, leadership and character.
🤝 Stronger Communities - Connecting Selby High with local primary schools and creating opportunities for young people to come together.
The Football Performance Centre is an exciting new opportunity for girls and boys across our school and local primary-school community.
Whether developing as a player, learning to coach, taking on a leadership role or simply enjoying being part of a team, we want every young person involved to leave the programme with greater confidence, new skills and a positive sense of what they can achieve.
More than football. More opportunities. More potential.
