England Colleges Representative Teams

Our Ambitions

The England Colleges National Team programme represents the pinnacle of college football. Our men’s and women’s 11v11 representative teams exist to:

We aim to:

1. Develop an aspirational representative football programme that allows every player to reach their potential.
2. Develop an effective system which allows players in full-time further education to represent their country, access a unique and high quality experience and gain meaningful minutes that add value to their existing club and further education football.
3. Identify players within further education football with outstanding ability and place them in an environment designed to produce football and educational excellence, raising their aspirations to progress further with their studies and football.
4. Identify coaches and workforce with high potential working within the FE sector.
5. Track the progression of players, coaches and support staff beyond their involvement with England Colleges and use their success as inspiration to future generations of players and workforce.
6. Work with key partners and sponsors to ensure the long term progression and sustainability of the England Colleges programme.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the programme is a combination of the high performance requirements expected of an England team integrated with education values. The infrastructure and delivery mechanisms in place to support this include:

Working with highly qualified and skilled coaches and expert staff

1. Appropriate competitive fixtures against high-quality, national and international teams to provide players with meaningful minutes
2. Embedding the England DNA
3. Accessing high-quality facilities
4. Utilising technology, innovation and educational concepts to inform programming
5. Creating a culture of improvement and personal development
6. Approaching player development holistically working in collaboration with players’ colleges, clubs, and where appropriate, The FA

Our Partners and Sponsors

Keystone Sports UK are the Official Partner and Funder of the England Colleges National Teams; providing essential sponsorship which enables the England Colleges programme to run, as well as operational staff support to design the domestic and international fixture programme for both the men’s and women’s team.

VEO provide a portable and affordable solution that enables sports teams to record and analyse matches and training sessions without the need for a camera operator.

Physique have been supplying to medical professionals, consumers and elite sports teams for 25 years. Their product lines cover everything from sports first aid, hot & cold therapy, taping & strapping, supports & braces and more. To view Physique’s full range click here where you will also receive a 10% discount.

Serious Sport is a UK based sports company offering a quality range of branded and personalised clothing. They are now one of the fastest growing teamwear companies in the UK due to its philosophy of offering quality garments, backed up with unrivalled quality service at competitive prices.

Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.

ECFA Regional Officers

James Bennett
Stuart Horsfield
Harry Mates
Mo Hopkins
Leah Burridge
Joe McTiffen

How to be part of the squad

Players are considered across the AoC Sport member colleges and associates through a two-phased trial process.

All AoC Sport members and associates are encouraged to nominate players via their Club Administrator until the closing date, after which time you will be contacted with further details on the trial process.

If you have any questions regarding the football representative trials, please contact Ian Barber.

ECFA Player of the Year Award

Our ECFA Player of the Year Award is presented in Luke Buckingham’s memory, to acknowledge his contribution to AoC Sport.

Luke was special. He wasn’t just special because of his own sporting achievements that included winning National Team titles in both Football and Cricket.

He wasn’t just special because of the way he battled his diagnosis with leukaemia at just 22 and then fought his way back to play semi-pro football and qualify as a UEFA B goalkeeper and outfield coach, and proudly coach the England Colleges ‘keepers for three seasons.

He was special because he believed in young people and their ability to be better, on all levels, than they ever imagined they could be.

This award embodies Luke’s spirit, his legacy and his inherent belief that #betterneverstops.

Our past winners are able to view here.

Follow the latest ECFA news and updates on our social media channel.

2024-25 England Colleges Men's Football Squad

Following a successful trial, we are pleased to announce the following players:

Men’s National Team Staff

Men’s Programme Manager – Simon East

Men’s Head Coach – Darin Killpartrick

Men’s Assistant Coaches – Andy Jones

Men’s Team Physio – Kirsten Wing

Assistant Team Physio – Megan Roberts (Men’s and Women’s)

Assistant Team Physio – Olivia Giles (Men’s and Women’s)

Sports Psychologist – Celine Plee (Men's and Women's)

Sports Analyst – Daniel Prior

Previous Seasons

ECFA Women’s National Team 2024/25

Following a successful trial, we are pleased to announce the following players:

Women’s National Team Staff

Women’s Head Coach – Keith Boanas

Women’s Assistant Coach – Charlie Bill

Women’s Team Physio – Becky Mayo

Assistant Team Physio – Megan Roberts (Men’s and Women’s)

Assistant Team Physio – Olivia Giles (Men’s and Women’s)

Sports Psychologist - Celine Plee (Men's and Women's)

Sports Analyst - Daniel Prior

Date: TBC
Venue: Chelsea (including shirt presentation)

Previous Seasons