Panther Club Football Academy

The South Adelaide Football Club is committed to building the best possible Talented Player Pathway for all aspiring footballers in our zone. Hence, we have decided to make a significant enhancement to our pathway for players who are about to enter the SANFL U16 competition.

We are very pleased and excited to announce the introduction of the SAFC "Panther Club Football Academy". This program is aimed at providing the best possible education and preparation for young talented athletes across our zone.

The main objectives are:

• To create a more effective link for our most talented U15 players from community level football into the SANFL underage competitions.
• To enable the most talented players in our zone assess to the SAFC talent pathway programs
• To better educate and prepare these talented players for the standards required at SANFL level
• To alleviate some of the issues related to the travel distance and time required to get players to and from SAFC
• To encourage players to take more ownership of their own evolution as a talented footballer
• To create more opportunities for our most talented players from different community leagues to build stronger relationships and friendships with each other
• To create more opportunities for our most talented players from different community leagues to build stronger relationships and friendships with the SAFC coaches

The program consists of 3 phases

Phase 1: Introduction & Education
A 4 day camp held at Hickinbotham Oval. This camp includes athlete education sessions, physical profiling sessions, skill acquisition training along with practical athlete recovery sessions.

Phase 2: Player Ownership / Mentoring
Requires players to follow a specific training plan while working closely with an Academy Mentor Coach back in their local region in smaller groups. This phase lasts for 9 weeks.

Phase 3: Assessment & Education
A 3 day camp held at Hickinbotham Oval.

Key education components of the program:

• Conditioning: Modern day fitness trends for AFL
• Strength: Functional strength guidelines for young developing athletes
• Recovery: Practical tips for fast and effective recovery from training and games
• Injury Management: Practical methods to treat injury and reduce risks of injury
• Nutrition: High performance dietary guidelines and requirements
• Drugs & Alcohol: What are the risks involved
• Goal Setting: Practical tips on how to set goals and how they can help you be your best

The Academy will include 45 of our most talent players under the age of 15 from all regions of our recruiting zone incorporating all 4 of our Community Leagues.

All enquiries please contact Mark Clayton - SAFC Talent Manager
Phone: 8186 8200
Email: mclayton@safc.com.au