Do you know about some of the best sports academies in the world?
Some elite sports academies in the world focus mainly on nourishing young student-athletes for a professional careers.
These academies provide ideal programs for young athletes who want to pursue their careers in sports. Additionally, they also get provided with opportunities to make a professional break.
These academies provide training and various routines to young athletes. However, not everyone can make it into the programs. Therefore, the athletes will need to work hard and dedication to getting into these academies.
The ones with talents and skill sets get taken into nourishing them further. They need to put in all their dedication and hard work. These academies will pave the way for their future.
Top 12 Best Sports Academies in the World
We have prepared this list from various trusted sources on the internet like Sportsbrowser.
Let us take a look at the table before diving into the details.
| Name | Location |
| 12. DME Academy | Florida, USA |
| 11. Spire Academy | Ohio, USA |
| 10. La Masia De Can Planes | Barcelona, Spain |
| 9. AFC Ajax Youth Academy | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 8. Loughborough University | Leicestershire, United Kingdom |
| 7. University of Florida | Florida, USA |
| 6. University of Birmingham | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| 5. German Sport University Cologne | Cologne, Germany |
| 4. St. Mary’s University | Twickenham, United Kingdom |
| 3. University of Alabama | Alabama, USA |
| 2. University of Alberta | Alberta, Canada |
| 1. Ivy League | Northeastern, USA |
12. DME Academy
Starting our list of the best sports academies with DME Academy. The academy was established in 2015 as a Post Grad Basketball Training Academy. The academy is located in Florida, USA.
The sports facility has two full NBA courts, a 2500 square foot video studio, and a state-of-the-art film room inside the event center. Moreover, the facility’s NBA court is considered one of the top NBA practice facilities.
Similarly, the academy provides two types of programs for young athletes. It has a 7-month post-graduate program to assist high school graduates in basketball training.
Likewise, this academy also has an intensive summer camp schedule. This camp tests the physical and mental strength of the athletes.
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11. Spire Academy
The following sports academy on our list is the Spire Academy. This academy has sports as its foundation and, on top of that, offers a diverse curriculum for young student-athletes.
Spire offers its student-athletes residential academy semester programs. Similarly, it also has intense weekend and week-long training camps. In addition, they provide professional training and competition in a wide variety of sports.
The academy programs include basketball, lacrosse, swimming, track and field, wrestling, soccer, football, and even esports. Moreover, the academy also provides extending training camps and performance training.
In addition, the academy has a 300-meter indoor track, an Olympic-sized pool, and six basketball or 12 volleyball courts. Therefore, the academy hosts clubs, leagues, tournaments, and championship events.
10. La Masia de Can Planes
La Masia de Can Planes, more famously known as La Masia, is F.C. Barcelona’s youth academy. It was built in 1702 as a Catalan farmhouse. Initially, it was used to house the club’s young footballers outside Barcelona.
It houses about 60 players, and the minimum age for the youth program starts from six years. Moreover, the operating cost of La Masia is £5 million a year, which makes it one of the most expensive academies in Europe.
The academy employs a 15 scouts system actively seeking young prospective students. The scouts get deployed in Catalonia, Spain, and worldwide.
La Masia has been one of the crucial factors for Barcelona’s European success. The academy has produced some of the top world-class players. Some of the most notable alumni coming from La Masia are Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola.
The academy became the first youth academy to have trained three finalists for the Ballon d’Or in 2010. Hence, when talking about the best sports academies, La Masia is one of the best.
9. AFC Ajax Youth Academy
On our ninth rank of best sports academy is the AFC Ajax Youth Academy. Also known as the breeding ground of Dutch football, the academy was first founded in 1900.
The youth academy undertakes promising players primarily aged 7 to 18 years old. It has 13 youth teams where the young players are trained the same way as the first team.
Likewise, AFC Ajax is partly dependent on this youth academy. The promising players from this academy are later moved to the senior team. Therefore, training the youths as the first team makes them accustomed to Ajax’s playing style.
The youths get trained in the so-called TIPS models that stand for Technique, Insight, Personality, and Speed. Additionally, each part has a further ten criteria to develop the players’ skills.
In the 2020 annual rankings of the clubs that trained the most players active in 31 top divisions of UEFA member associations, AFC Ajax youth academy was ranked second. The academy had trained 77 players trained.
8. Loughborough University
The Loughborough University is located in Leicestershire, East Midlands of England. The university’s history dates back to 1909. Moreover, the university is ranked seventh in every national university league table in the U.K.
Loughborough has an unrivaled achievement when it comes to sports. It plays host to many of its highest-performing athletes and teams. Additionally, the university also offers a wide range of sports for student-athletes.
Besides regular sports like rugby, and football, the university also has sports clubs for equestrian, ultimate frisbee, etc. In addition, the university is constantly recruiting student-athletes and training them.
The university owns a 3,000-capacity, £4 million worth stadium for the university’s rugby and football first teams. On top of that, Loughborough is one of the few universities in the English football league system.
The university was named University of the Year 2019 by The Times and Sunday Times. Similarly, it was also named the University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
7. University of Florida
Next on our list of best sports academies is the University of Florida. The university is a public land-grant research university established in 1853. It is also the fifth-largest single-campus university in the United States.
Although the university is a public research university, it also has intercollegiate sports teams. The sports team is named the “Florida Gators.”
These sports teams compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The University of Florida has one of the best athletics programs in the SEC. Because of its excellent athletic program, the university is one of the top sports universities in the United States.
The University of Florida has produced 89 first-team All-Americans and 45 NFL first-round draft choices. It also has produced three Heisman Trophy winners. Likewise, 163 student-athletes and 13 university coaches have made their way to the Olympic Games.
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6. University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a public research university, first established in 1825.
Birmingham provides sports and fitness facilities to the students and community members with a membership. The facilities boast outdoor football pitches, a gym, a dojo, and even a climbing wall.
The university is seventh-best in the British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2019. It provides a wide range of sports and competitions for the students and the local community.
Moreover, the university offers around 30 scholarships and grants to national and international students with exceptional athletic abilities.
Some of the wide selection of sports include soccer, rugby, hockey, netball, rowing, basketball, etc. Added to that, Birmingham has 56 different sports clubs and provides 180 fitness classes.
The University of Birmingham is set to host a hockey and squash competition for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
5. German Sport University Cologne
On our fifth spot is German Sport University Cologne. The university was founded in 1947 as Sport University Cologne. Then later, in 1965, it was renamed the German Sport University Cologne.
The university provides a wide selection of sports for student-athletes. Therefore, the university has swimming, lap running, and esports in the sports selection from basketball to badminton.
Similarly, it has a unique degree program named M.A. Olympic Studies. The objective of this degree is to foster links between the academic and Olympic worlds. Moreover, the university also has an Olympic Studies Center, founded in 2005.
Likewise, the university also has another unique European Handball Manager certificate program. The program was organized by the European Handball Federation in collaboration with the German Sport University.
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4. St. Mary’s University
If you are looking for highly-rated training programs with a range of sports and health degrees, then St. Mary’s University, Twickenham is yours. This public university was established in 1850.
The university is one of the top sports universities in the U.K. Aside from providing sports facilities to its students, the local community can also benefit from the facilities.
The university sports facilities were used as the pre-Games training camp by Olympic athletes and the officials from 10 national teams.
In 2011, the university opened a new sports center worth £8.5 million. The sports center boasts six badminton courts, four cricket lanes, a basketball court, netball, and a handball court.
Likewise, the university also has a sports hall, tennis hall, athletics track, dance studio, gymnasium, and grass pitches. Many athletes from St. Mary have been part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2016 Summer Olympics, and Paralympic Games in Rio.
3. University of Alabama
We have the University of Alabama on our third rank of the best sports academies worldwide. It is a public research university, the oldest and largest public university in Alabama.
The university has an athletic team named the Alabama Crimson Tide. Its varsity football program is one of the ten winningest programs in U.S. history.
The university competes in the Southeastern Conference (Western Division) of the NCAA’s Division I. Likewise, its women’s rowing team competes in the Big 12 conference of the NCAA’s Division I conference.
The University of Alabama provides various selections of sports to student-athletes. For example, they have football, basketball, baseball, golf, cross country, tennis, etc. Similarly, it has various athletic facilities, including the Bryant–Denny Stadium.
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2. University of Alberta
The University of Alberta was founded in 1908. It is a public research university located in Alberta, Canada, and is one of the best sports universities in the country.
The university’s athletics programs get managed by the Athletics Department, a service unit under the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. The department manages more than 500 teams in over 24 groups.
The sports programs of the university include a wide variety of sports. For example, they have basketball, cross country, curling, football, rugby, track and field, wrestling, etc.
Alberta’s athletic facilities are open to their athletic teams and university students. In addition, they have Physical Activity and Wellness Center, a multi-sport foot field, an aquatic center, a fitness center, a gymnasium, and so on.
Since 1961, the university’s athletic team has won 65 national championships. Additionally, its men’s ice hockey team has won the Canada West Conference Championships several times.
1. Ivy League
We will be closing off our list of the best sports academies worldwide with the Ivy League. The League is a collegiate athletic conference consisting of eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States.
The eight universities comprise Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The Ivy Leagues have their own Ivy championship. The Leagues’ champions get recognized as the sixteen men’s and sixteen women’s sports. The League is also home to some of the oldest college rugby teams in the United States.
Rivalries also run deep among the universities in the Ivy League. From basketball and football rivalries to hockey and lacrosse, the institutions are constantly looking to outdo one another.
Conclusion
This concludes our list of the best sports academies in the world. In addition, these academies and universities are equipped with some of the best sports training programs.
These programs help prepare young athletes for their careers in professional sports. So what do you think of our list?
