The AFL Academy at Essendon Keilor College provides students with a genuine, high-performance football pathway from Year 7 through to Year 12. Built on strong partnerships with the Essendon Football Club and connections to Talent League club the Calder Cannons, the program is centred around quality coaching, professionalism, and continual improvement.
From the moment students enter the Academy in Year 7, they are immersed in an environment that reflects the standards of elite football programs. Years 7–9 focus on developing fundamental skills, game understanding, and training habits through regular elite football training sessions. In Year 9, students also undertake a dedicated Football subject that explores the history of the game, tactical concepts, and the foundations of effective gameplay.
In Year 10, the Academy expands into a year-long Football program for both boys and girls. This subject is designed to refine skills while placing a strong emphasis on fitness, strength development, recovery practices, and professional training standards. Students participate in combine testing and time trials, providing measurable data to track improvement and performance growth. Regular visits to The Hangar, Essendon Football Club’s training facility, give students an authentic insight into the expectations of elite environments.
A key feature of the Academy is access to Essendon Football Club Strength and Conditioning coaches, who work with students twice a week before school in the College’s high-performance gym. This allows students to train under professional guidance while developing habits that mirror those of elite athletes.
The girls’ program continues to grow in strength and reputation, with a Girls Premier League team and AFLW Academy led by current Essendon AFLW player Steph Wales, providing students with exceptional role models and first-hand elite experience.
In Years 11 and 12, students combine their passion for football with their education through the Sport and Recreation Football program, available to both VCE and VCE-VM students. This ensures that regardless of their academic pathway, students can continue to develop their football knowledge, skills, and understanding of the sport.
All elements of the Academy culminate in participation in the SSV Premier League Football competition, where Essendon Keilor College’s senior boys and girls teams compete against other leading football schools, alongside regular fixtures against our established partner schools throughout the year.
The Essendon Keilor College AFL Academy is more than a school football program — it is a structured, professional pathway that supports students in pursuing excellence in football while building the habits, knowledge, and character that extend well beyond the game.
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