We are a football academy based in Leeds.
UFSA uses various venues/locations for training and matches across the year.
We offer training sessions for all abilities; from people who are just starting out, right through to advanced sessions for professional players.
Our training programme delivers high quality training for all abilities. Our coaching team all specialise in different areas meaning that the sessions delivered will help you become the best player you can be.
What makes us stand out?
We are one of the leading girls training centres within Leeds and surrounding areas.
We hold yearly high level showcase games scheduled in for all our age groups which are played mid week so non impactful on any weekend football commitments.
Sheffield United FC Partnership
United football sporting academy is officially linked up with one of the best RTC academies around for girls football - Sheffield United.
Sheffield United signed some of our girls last year and we have watched them go from strength to strength with the feedback been extremely positive.
United Football Sporting Academy work with some extremely talented footballers from all ages, with some going onto represent some outstanding clubs and also getting opportunities to train / play nationally.
This now gives us another avenue for our girls to showcase what they are about.
This season so far Sheffield United have welcomed us at every age group and the girls have loved it.
ESFA / Leeds Schools FA
United football sporting academy are extremely delighted to be proudly supporting Leeds School Girls U11's for the 2025/2026 season with training and coaching for the up and coming girls school fixtures.
JPL
United Football Sporting Academy are pleased to have 2 of our girls teams now play in the JPL league playing against boys on Saturdays. We are looking to expand have have more girl teams playing in the JPL. The JPL is a high standard grassroots league which has come of the best teams and clubs across the country. The JPL gives the players the challenge that they need to improve and develop as a individual as well as a team. We currently have our u11 and u12 girls teams in the JPL. Our teams train 2 a week with UEFA qualified coaches.
Garforth Junior League
Most of our Girl teams playing in the Garforth junior league against boys. All games are played on Sunday mornings. At each age group all games are competitive and are a very good challenge for our girls. We currently have an u10 + u11 + u12 girls teams in the Garforth league. We are looking to expand and have more teams playing against boys.
We also have 3 boy teams that play in the Garforth league as well. We currently have 2 u9's and 1 u10 team. All teams are doing successfully well.
All our Coaches are safeguarding and 1st aid trained + DBS Checked.
West Riding Girls league
Our current u15 girls team play in the west riding girls league. This is an all girls league with the games been played on a Saturday morning. This is the 1st season the u15 have played under our badge and they have had a great season so far
Meet the Coaches
Gary - Technical Director
Gary is an UEFA A Licenced Coach with 38 Years coaching experience across different clubs and countries. The previous clubs Gary has work at are: Leeds United, Blackburn, Burnley, St Louis (USA) and Mexico City (Mexico). Gary worked in USA & Mexico for over 10 years. He was also previously an FA coach educator - 1999-2020, where he helped and support so many other coaches on their journey. Gary is now a key member of the UFSA Family as our Technical director and coaches different teams/players across UFSA.
Paul - Coach
From the age of 9, I attended Newcastle United's centre of excellence until the age of 14. I then had the opportunity to sign for Leeds United, which meant I would eventually move to the club when I was 16. I represented England at Youth Level and played in the U16's European Championships held in Turkey. In the same year, I was part of the Leeds United squad that won the FA Youth Cup final defeating Manchester United. I spent nearly 3 years at Leeds playing in the youth team and reserves before moving to Hull City, where I made my debut against Bournemouth. Following the end of my contract at Hull, I went on to play non-league football for a number of clubs including Farsley Celtic, Bradford Park Avenue and Ossett Town.
As the end of my playing career drew closer, I decided to take my coaching badges in order to stay involved in the game. This led to working at Leeds United initially with the under 9's. During a period of around 10 years, I worked at Leeds with varying age groups ranging from U9's to U16's. As well as coaching elite players, I've also worked at grassroots level and still currently do. One of my current roles is to help coaches deliver sessions to grassroots teams and give them the tools to deliver a good quality session. I've also had experience of coaching overseas in Canada with both boys and girls during fortnightly camps.
I currently hold the UEFA B Licence coaching badge and the FA Youth Award at levels 1, 2 and 3. As a coach, I'm a firm believer that technique is key and being able to handle the ball will enable players in all positions to be the best they can possibly be. As players develop, the tactical aspect of the game can be introduced to help them individually and collectively. But above all, my aim is for players to enjoy the sessions I deliver whilst also learning and developing.
Josh - Goalkeeper Coach
Josh is our club goalkeeper coach who train all our goalkeepers across every age group. Josh is a UEFA Licenced Coach in goalkeeping and outfield. Josh is also a goalkeeper coach for the Leeds City schools Boys. Josh used to be a goalkeeper himself playing for different clubs such as Barnsley FC, Doncaster Rovers FC and
Sheffield Wednesday FC. He is now passing on his experience and knowledge as a goalkeeper onto the next generation of players.
Luke - Coach + Welfare Officer + Club Secretary
Luke is one of our coaches who coaches/helps out on both the girls and boys sections of the club + Leeds city school girls. Luke is a UEFA Licenced coach with nearly 10 years coaching experience in different environments across different clubs such as Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Burnley FC. Plus Luke is qualified a scout and was previously a scout for Sheffield United for nearly 2 years. Luke also plays a key part of our club as he is the clubs welfare officer and deals with any safeguarding across the club.
Matt - Administration and compliance manager + Chairman
Matt is the clubs Administration and compliance manager and deals with most of the admin across both the boys and girls section of the club. Matt is also the club chairman and plays a big part in the UFSA family. Plus Matt also helps out coaching our u12 girls team every weekends.
