YOUTH

CAMBRIDGE YOUTH PROGRAMME

Cambridge Football Club in association with RH3 Football Academy is proud to share the Cambridge Youth Development programme.  The club will have qualified coaches leading each team and following an accredited football curriculum and testing.  While we have resources available to teach coaches how to coach, we require parental support for management roles within each team.  As a club we have a responsibility to expose as many kids as feasible to high quality coaching and playing environments, so they get the opportunity to play to their potential. 

This programme is designed to develop Cambridge into a destination club for the Waikato.  We have a vision that our club will provide challenging and competitive opportunities for players to be exposed to the highest levels of competition and the best quality coaching they could ask for. 

Cambridge Football Federation Team Structure 

We are proposing the following structure for 2023, depending on numbers of triallists for the various teams: 

16th Grade Boys – 1 team, squad size 18 players 

14th Grade Boys – 2 teams, squad size 18 players 

U14 Girls – 1 team, squad size 16 players 

13th Grade Boys – 2 teams, squad size 16 players 

12th Grade Boys and U12 Girls – 1 or 2 teams for each group, depending on number of triallists in an academy development programme with a view to forming the core group for the 2024 federation programme.  Squad size 13 players 

All teams will be coached by RH3 Academy coaches.   

We are working closely with Cambridge High School and their football programme to ensure there is a good connection between the groups to ensure an ongoing pathway for performance for our players.  Balance between school and club will be key to minimising injury and maximising time on the park to play and develop. 

CAMBRIDGE FOOTBALL FEDERATION PROGRAMME

We are pleased to partner with RH3 for our training programme, which will run for some part of Term1 and then across Terms 2 and 3.  We will offer the following for players participating in the Cambridge Football Federation Programme: 

Federation Teams (13th Grade Boys up): 

  • Red and white playing kit consisting of personalised playing shirt and shorts  
  • Off field kit including personalised hoodie and trousers – to be worn to and from games 
  • Training kit – to be used as an alternate strip and for training sessions  
  • Annual subscription membership to Cambridge Football Club and WaiBOP Youth 
  • All coaching sessions by Academy coaches  
  • Gameday attendance by Academy coaches 
  • Tournament attendance by Academy coaches (at least two tournaments during the season) 
  • Strength and Conditioning programme including Sports Science Testing across all age groups 
  • Training sessions will commence in Term 1 and run through till Term 4 (16th Grade will operate a slightly reduced training programme in conjunction with High School commitments) 
  • Separate goal keeping sessions during the training week for the squad goalkeepers 

It is expected that kit will last for two years.  All kit will be available to purchase via the Cambridge Football Club website shop if annual replacement is desired. 

PRE FEDERATION ACADEMY (12TH GRADE BOYS AND U12 GIRLS)

  • Red and white personalised playing shirt  
  • Off field personalised hoodie – to be worn to and from games 
  • Training shirt – to be used as an alternate strip and for training sessions  
  • Annual subscription membership to Cambridge Football Club and WaiBOP Youth 
  • All coaching sessions by Academy coaches  
  • Some gameday attendance by Academy coaches depending on availability – we will still need coaching support on Saturdays for the 12th Grade 
  • Tournament attendance by Academy coaches (at least two tournaments during the season) 
  • Strength and Conditioning programme including Sports Science Testing  
  • Training sessions will commence in Term 1 and run through till Term 4