Women's Academy Styria - SK Sturm Graz

The phase of life between the ages of 12 and 18 is particularly important for young people's future lives because of the decisions they have to make about schooling or starting a career. In addition, young talented players do not have sufficient opportunities to combine their football education with the high demands of their school. Together with SK Sturm Graz, the Styrian Football Association has developed a concept based on close cooperation between the regional association, the national league club, partner schools and a boarding school partner, which creates a symbiosis between school education with Matura and football education at a high level.

In the Styrian Football Academy, players are to be trained according to the latest training programmes. The aim is to create optimal conditions for the talented players to develop athletically, academically and professionally and to mature into personalities.

The goals are:

• To train elite players who will achieve careers at the highest level as well as appearances in the national teams.
• to field an academy team in the highest league possible in Austria under association law, with the players remaining registered with their respective parent clubs. In this respect, the model of the Styrian Boys' Academy - Sturm Graz serves as a model.

Admission criteria

Admission to the Women's AKA Styria - Sturm Graz is based on a sporting assessment carried out by a panel of experts. The following criteria must be met:

• Fulfilment of the football-specific criteria
• Admission to one of our partner schools and the
• Membership of a Styrian association.

The aim is to admit up to 8 new players per year. The partner schools are Sport BORG Monsbergergasse, BG/BRG Oeversee, HASCH Grazbachgasse, Sportmittelschule Graz (lower school) and HIB Liebenau. The representatives of the school cooperation partners are responsible for the school placement under the direction of the school coordinator.

Training

Up to 6 training sessions per week, broken down as follows:

• 2 x per week early training
• 4 x per week afternoon training
• 4 x goalkeeper training takes place per week

The morning training takes place at the Styrian Football Association's facility and the afternoon training at the SK Sturm Graz-Messendorf training centre or the women's football centre at Postplatz. The training session on Friday is optional for the players and can also be completed at the respective parent club. The periodisation of the early training should largely coincide with the competition phase, therefore the training sessions will start in July and the winter months will be used for regeneration and improvement of the physical condition (conditional aspects and injury prophylaxis). Bringing the start of training forward to July helps the players to get to know each other before classes begin and takes into account exam-intensive school weeks in the winter. In January and February, early training sessions are alternatively held indoors (depending on the weather).

Sports medical care

The players' sports motor and medical care is provided at the BORG Monsberger junior training centre (NLZ) and at the sports outpatient clinic in Graz (LKH paediatric surgery). In addition to therapies and massages, sports medical examinations are also offered. The services can be used by the players under appropriate conditions, regardless of the school they attend. The doctor in charge of medical care is also the school doctor at the BORG and thus easily accessible for players attending this partner school.

The sports medical care includes (demonstrative list)

• Sports motor tests
• Functional Movement Screen
• Assignment of defined training units (e.g. correction exercises)
• Trunk stabilisation programme or strength training programme etc. via Simpliflow

Regular communication between the academy officials, the parent clubs (especially the respective coaches) and the parents and guardians should be the basis for the best possible sporting and academic success.

Further information is available at: Women's Academy Styria - Sturm Graz