Closing the Gap: How North American Players Can Compete with EPL Academy Standards

For any young soccer player in North America dreaming of reaching professional levels in Europe, the path is clear — but far from easy.

The reality is that elite academy players in the English Premier League (EPL) are training full-time from a young age, receiving expert guidance, and being developed within a system designed to produce world-class talent. If you’re serious about pursuing similar opportunities, you must be willing to match — and even surpass — their level of commitment. Here’s how you can start.

1. Know Where You Stand: Benchmark Your Performance Against EPL Academy Players

Understanding your current performance level is a crucial first step. Far too many North American players train and compete without any concept of how they stack up against their peers in top academies overseas.

That’s where performance benchmarking becomes invaluable. By analyzing technical, physical, and tactical metrics — and comparing them to the vast data available on academy players in the UK — you can get a realistic picture of your strengths, weaknesses, and the specific areas where you need to improve. Our online mentorship training programs, led by UEFA A Licensed Coach Ian McClurg, include this performance analysis and help identify exactly what you need to focus on to reach academy levels.

2. Put in the Extra Work: Fill the Training Hours Gap with Private Coaching

Elite-level youth players in the UK are training up to 15-20 hours per week. Compare that to many North American players who train only 2-3 times weekly with their teams — and it’s easy to see why the development gap exists.

Adding private, individualized training to your weekly routine is essential. Through our 1-on-1 online coaching sessions, players receive personalized learning plans tailored to their position, playing style, and ambitions. This additional training not only increases your technical repetition and game IQ, but also instills the professional habits needed to close the training hours gap and speed up your development.

3. Train Where It Counts: Experience Professional Environments in the UK or Europe

Once your foundation is strong, the next big leap is to immerse yourself in the professional environment you’re aiming to reach. That means physically training at UK or European academies, participating in trials, and getting firsthand experience with the intensity, speed, and expectations of top-level football.

Our partnerships and guided development programs provide this opportunity. With preparation from your individual learning plan, attending trials or full-time training residencies abroad becomes a realistic — and achievable — next step in your journey.

Your Future in Football Starts with a Plan

The dream is possible, but it takes more than just talent. You need direction, dedication, and data. You need to understand how professionals are developed and be willing to replicate that process step-by-step.

At Ian McClurg Learn Perform Coaching, we’re helping North American players take control of their development and begin writing their own professional stories — one session, one plan, one trial at a time.

Ready to take the first step? Benchmark your individual performance levels, train like a academy player at a Professional Club and Pursue Professional Playing Opportunities in the UK and Europe at Professional Clubs

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