U11, u12 + U13
DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY

Welcome to the TUFC U11, u12 & u13 Development Academy

At Tuggeranong United, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the pack.

In 2025 following Capital Football’s announcement that the NPL and CPL Boys competitions would combine (in 2025); we decided to grow our own program for U12 and U13’s, offering a Development Academy for boys and girls.

In 2026 we are proud to grow this program further to include the U11 age group, alongside the U12 and U13’s, to provide an excellent platform for growth and development of players.

Our vision is to be the club of choice for aspiring players in the ACT and to promote a professional environment in which all players develop and grow as people.

TUFC’s Premier League Boys ‘Stronger Teams’ Program was named the most innovative program across the whole of Capital Football for 2024!

The Innovative Program of the Year award was presented to TUFC in recognition of our development of the most unique and forward-looking football-related initiative, program, or event.

TUFC demonstrated, above all others, that the aims and objectives of our program align with growing and improving the footballing community of our club, both on and off the pitch.

We are extremely proud to have received this award.

We are pleased to expand the ‘Stronger Teams’ program into the U11’s, U12s and U13s Development Academy. It is a reflection of TUFC’s commitment to the football community.

You can read below to learn more about the various aspects of our program.

In 2026, the club will be offering a U11, U12, and U13 Development Academy, which will incorporate the following teams:

• Under 11s Pathway Squad– This team will be registered in the U11 Division 1 competition.
• Under 11s Development Squad – This team will be registered in the U11 Division 2 competition or higher as deemed appropriate.
• Under 12s SAP League Squad – This team will be registered in the U12 Capital Football Skills Acquisition Pathway (SAP) League.
• Under 12s Development Squad – This team will be registered in the U12 Division 2 competition or higher as deemed appropriate.
• Under 13s SAP League Squad – This team will be registered in the U13 Capital Football Skills Acquisition Pathway (SAP) League.
• Under 13s Development Squad – This team will be registered in the U13 Division 1 competition or higher as deemed appropriate.

Teams within the TUFC Development Academy will train as a group with individual team training sessions, position-specific training sessions, and inter-club development games. All training sessions will be undertaken by appropriately qualified coaching staff as outlined by Capital Football.

Academy training is based upon a curriculum set out by our Technical Director, Tim Davies, and First Grade Men’s and Women’s Head Coach, Mitch Stevens. The curriculum is designed to ensure players develop the skills as set out in Football Australia’s skills acquisition program guidelines, emphasising development as the number one priority.

Our program recognises that not everyone develops at the same speed or time, and by including multiple teams per age group, we ensure all the academy members have a place to learn and develop in an environment that challenges them to grow.

Participation is open to boys and girls born in 2015 or later.

If you are looking for an environment that cares as much about your football development as much as your personal development, then TUFC is the club for you.

Trials for our Development Academy will be held for the following teams:

• Under 13’s SAP League Squad
• Under 13’s Development Squad
• Under 12’s SAP League Squad
• Under 12’s Development Squad
• Under 11’s Pathway Squad
• Under 11’s Development Squad

Please note trials for these squads will be conducted as follows:

All eligible and interested Goal Keepers, please register and attend.

• Tuesday 14th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 16th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 21st of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 23rd of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 28th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 30th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

• Tuesday 14th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 16th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 21st of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 23rd of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 28th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 30th of October – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

• Tuesday 4th of November – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 6th of November – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Tuesday 11th of November – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
• Thursday 13th of November – 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Please Note:

TUFC does not offer players early offers.

Instead, all squads will be selected, on merit, based on trials. As such, you can attend trials with us knowing that you will be treated equally.

TUFC understands that selecting the right program can be a difficult choice. As such, TUFC will not pressure you to join our program by placing restrictions on offers, i.e. we will not rescind your offer if you choose to trial for other clubs. We may, however, ask you to make a decision by a certain date so that we can manage other players.

We believe that winning comes from playing ‘Good Football’.

At TUFC, ‘Good Football’ means that players are given a licence and the confidence to develop ‘Good Football’ techniques and tactics. We teach football that is played Fast, Agressive and Direct (FAD). This means instead of screaming at our players ‘boot it out’, we’re encouraging players to combine in small spaces to play out of trouble, no matter where you are on the field, and to have purpose in play no matter the position on the field and the situation.

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Tim Davies

TUFC Technical Director

As TUFC TD, Tim is responsible for the development of all coaches and players.

Tim has a long resume of experience and qualifications. Of note include:

• Football Federation Australia B Licence
• AFC Football Federation Australia Level 3 GK Coach Candidate
• Erindale College Sydney FC Academy School Program Head Coach
• Canberra United W-League Goalkeeper Coach
• Capital Football TSP Goalkeeper Coach

Tim Davies, TUFC Technical Director

As TUFC TD, Tim is responsible for the development of all coaches and players.

Tim has a long resume of experience and qualifications. Of note include:

• Football Federation Australia B Licence
• AFC Football Federation Australia Level 3 GK Coach Candidate
• Erindale College Sydney FC Academy School Program Head Coach
• Canberra United W-League Goalkeeper Coach
• Capital Football TSP Goalkeeper Coach

Dates: 30^th January 2026 to 1^st February 2026

Note this is not a sleepover camp.

The 2025 Development Academy Camp was a huge success and we are looking forward to offering an improved camp for the Development Academy in 2026 across three days.

• Friday – Welcome, Games, a BBQ, and who is TUFC.
• Saturday – Sessions will cover, nutrition, recovery and
  preparation, managing schooling and fun challenges.
• Sunday – Fitness Session

Check out the photos from the Development Academy camp.

While we are focused on winning games, through Good Football, and developing players, success is not gained as an individual.

Our program focuses on three key elements:

1. Being a good teammate;
2. Being a good club person; and
3. Being a good sports person.

During the season players will be encouraged to be ambassadors for the club and assist the club as required.

From time to time the time the team will undertake a series of sessions designed to develop a deeper understanding of “team” and what it means to be a good team mate.

All of this will be summarised on one page and given to you as a reminder of the commitment you’ve made to the team and the ultimate goal.

Players entering the program as a U11 will be buddied up with a U13 player.

The purpose of a buddy program is to support a smooth transition for boys and girls within the program and the increased expectation intense competition brings.

Players will be paired with a similar player from the age group above and a senior player from the U13 team.

The buddy system is hoped to assist players as they player higher age groups as well as provide an avenue of support within the club.

To help prepare for the season, the following preseason schedule is being proposed:

• Interclub Preseason Tournament
• Preseason Game against an interstate opposition team.

 In 2025 TUFC held a home and away series of games against Far South Coast and Eurobodalla Football Association. This home and away series provided the players an excellent opportunity to bond as a group whilst playing against representative teams from the coast.

TUFC is liaising with clubs to participate in a similar format for 2026.

While players will undertake conditioning during training sessions, TUFC coaches also offer additional conditioning sessions, especially during the pre-season.

You’ll have the ability to work on your endurance, speed, and agility to help ensure you are ready for the physical challenges of the season.

The proposed program will involve training two nights a week.

Training will incorporate sessions run within individual teams, age groups, and defensive and attacking skill sets. Our training sessions will incorporate games between the participating teams to develop skill sets.

The U13 & U12 SAP teams will participate in the in the Capital Football SAP League which runs games every second Tuesday. It is anticipated other teams within the group will utilise this time for additional inter club games.

To assist with your development, TUFC is a club that looks to provide players with an opportunity to test their skills in higher age groups.

In 2024, players from the U12 Divison 1 team were given the opportunity to play in the U13 SAP team.

In 2025 players from the u13 Sap team trained and played for the TUFC u14 NPL team whilst players from the U12 Pathways team and Development team played games for the U13 Sap team.

In 2025 the recipient of the development academy most improved player award started the season in the u12 Development team and was given the opportunity to fill in for both the u12 Pathways team and u13 Sap team.

In 2025 the development academy players received full training kits as follows:

• Match day kit with squad number and player name. Presented to the players at a first grade game.
• Training kit including shorts and top.
• Mid layer training top
• Trackpants
• Hoodie
• Academy Cap
• Backpack

Move Happy is the TUFC Development Academy Physiotherapy partner and helps us get injured players back to 100% and back on the park as soon as possible.

At the start of the season, Move Happy will baseline your uninjured physical state so there is comparison data in the event of an injury. Importantly, this includes concussion baselining.

If you do get injured, Move Happy provide a TUFC dedicated post-game triage clinic for injured players that need to be seen promptly. This clinic is used to identify players who need to be seen formally for physiotherapy, referred for imaging, or those who just need to be checked and cleared to play with some adjustments.

If you do require treatment, through your insurance, included in your participation costs, 75% of the cost of treatment is covered (when claiming back). This allows you to be effectively and thoroughly rehabbed without being worried about the burden of the associated costs.

Where possible, TUFC looks to enter teams into the Kanga Cup.

Tournament football is always a unique experience, providing opportunities to play against different opposition.

360Player, our club-wide platform, provides players and parents/guardians with a one-stop app for all your registration, payment, and information needs.

For each team, 360Player provides a private social wall, group chats, and private chats. Plus, players and parents can RSVP for trainings and games with a simple tap.

Registering for club events such as camps, team building, presentation nights, and the like is a breeze with built-in forms and seamless online payments.

For those wishing to spread payments out, the app allows you to easily set up and stick to a payment plan.