Last year was another incredibly busy and successful year for LFC International Academies around the world. As we look forward to what 2026 will bring, here is a look back at the previous 12 months.

January

Chicago seminars and coach education

The first touchpoint in North America in 2025 was in early January as the LFC IA team headed out to Chicago. A brilliant event saw multiple International Academies from across North America represented as LFC delivered key business updates before hitting the pitch for some technical sessions. It provided an important opportunity to introduce some key updates that would be delivered in 2025.

LFC International Academy Thailand Launch

Having opened with a soft launch in November 2024, January was the month that saw the official launch event of our LFC IA in Thailand. Daniel Gavin, Senior Coaching Manager, was joined by former Red’s star Emile Heskey for the event and both took the opportunity to observe training, meet coaches and players and take part in the launch press conference.

Speaking about the launch, Dan Gavin said: “It’s fantastic to see such a great turnout for the event. To have LFC International Academy now in Thailand, offering a true LFC coaching experience to youngsters here and providing the local coaches with a comprehensive coach education scheme, is important to us.”

February

Six months coaching the Liverpool way in Kunming

February marked the six-month anniversary of Derry Creighton’s arrival as Head Coach at LFC IA Kunming, so we decided to catch up with him to see how he was getting on. While moving to a new country in which he didn’t speak the native language came with its own challenges, delivering information to players via a translator was something Derry felt had helped him improve his own coaching and communication skills.

Derry also added: ”The enthusiasm and pride of the players part of the LFC IA Kunming is not something you can miss as well as their opponents in tournament being excited to play against the Academy..”

Additionally, within his first six months, Derry had the opportunity to meet Caroline Wilson DCMG, the British Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, a very exciting opportunity. Derry has now been coaching in Kunming for over a year and what a year it has been for him.

March

Annual LFC IA Coach Convention

In March, we hosted our annual LFC IA Coach Convention, for which we invited coaches from all of our International Academies to join us for a week in Liverpool filled with on and off-pitch education, not to mention a host of LFC legends and former players.

The event saw us launch the 25/26 Coaching Curriculum and included technical demonstrations, keynote speakers and access to multiple LFC sites, including the AXA Training Centre and AXA Melwood Training Centre. There was also a memorable social event, with LFC’s all-time leading goalscorer Ian Rush and former Red’s defender Mark Wright providing an insightful and entertaining evening.

To conclude the week, we attended the LFC Legends game against Chelsea, with a win for Liverpool with 2 goals scored by Peter Crouch.

April

Reflecting on more than 10 years of LFC IA Egypt

In April, we took the opportunity to catch-up with LFC IA Egypt Head Coach, David Ridler, as he reflected on passing the milestone of a decade in Egypt, leading the LFC IA program in Cairo.

From leaving professional football himself and wondering what was next, David admitted he would have never thought that he would move himself and his family to another country. Reflecting on the journey, David said:

“The culture and heritage of Egypt are truly beautiful, and the warmth and respect shown by the people here have made our experience even more rewarding. It has been a transformative experience, both professionally and personally. It has allowed me to stay connected to the sport I love while making a meaningful difference in the lives of young players.”

LFC International Academy Egypt has grown to operate in multiple locations and welcomes over 700 players through their doors every month.

Our first LFC Soccer School of 2025

The UK Easter half-term brought our first Soccer Schools and Goalkeeper Masterclass of the year. Hosted at the LFC Academy we welcomed over 200 young Reds through the doors for a memorable experience, learning to play The Liverpool Way just like many of young LFC players before them.

May

LFC International Academy Utah opens its doors

It was an exciting start to May as we welcomed a new International Academy into the LFC family. LFC IA Utah opened its doors and have been off to a flying start, welcoming over 1000 players through their doors every month. We can’t wait to see what is in store for them!

The AXA Melwood Experience

For two days we opened the doors to the AXA Melwood Training Centre, home of LFC Women, welcoming young Reds into the legendary training ground for an experience like no other. They got to follow in the footsteps of LFC legends like Ian Rush and Bill Shankly as well as modern-day heroes like Taylor Hinds and Fuka Nagano. More than 150 youngsters joined us across the weekend for a truly authentic LFC coaching experience.

June

European summer camps kick-off

June marked the start of a busy summer period, beginning with the first of our Soccer Schools in Europe. We kicked things off with the annual camps in Iceland which saw more than 500 youngsters attend before the LFC coaching team headed to Croatia to deliver memorable camps for more young players.

LFC International Academy Arizona and Nevada open

It was also a month in which we celebrated the launch of two more North America locations. Programs would get underway in Arizona and Nevada, launching initially with summer camps before developing year-round programs in both locations.

UK Residential camps get underway

The last week of June also saw our flagship UK residential camps get underway. Eight weeks of camps were hosted across two venues, with young players travelling from around the world to experience life as a young LFC player.

Follow this link if you’re interested in booking a place on the LFC Residential Camps in 2026.

July

LFC International Academy Summer Camps

After the success of our Easter Soccer Schools, we were thrilled to be able to once again host a packaged schedule of Summer Soccer Schools at the LFC Academy in Kirkby. Hundreds of youngsters enjoyed learning to play the Liverpool way under the guidance of our experienced coaching team.

Click here to find out more about LFC Soccer Schools in 2026 and sign up to register your interest.

LFC Preseason Tour returns to Asia

Our men’s first team traveled to Hong Kong and Japan as part of their pre-season preparations, providing an amazing opportunity to connect with our International Academies in both locations. In Hong Kong, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch visited the IA, along with the Premier League trophy, while in Japan Gakpo was joined by Wataru Endo and Mighty Red as they all visited our Tokyo site, creating memories to last a lifetime in both locations.

August

LFC International Academy Michigan site visit

In August Andrew Nicolas, Senior Coaching Manager, and Steven Gillespie, Program Manager, visited our LFC International Academy in Michigan. While there they hosted a number of coach education sessions, walking the coaches through our new Coaching Curriculum and how to utilize everything available to them.

Reflecting on their trip to LFC IA Michigan, Andrew Nicholas, said: “Being able to bring all of the coaches together from across multiple venues was incredibly valuable both to the coaches but also to us as it meant we got to the opportunity to meet the coaches who are delivering our program. It was great to spend some time with them.”

adidas kit launch

With the Premier League season kicking off in August, there was also another big change as LFC once again wore adidas kit. LFC International Academies around the world also transitioned to brand new adidas kit!

October

Dan Gavin visits LFC IA Kunming, Hong Kong and Australia

Daniel Gavin, Program Manager, visited three of our LFC International Academy locations for site visits, meeting staff, visiting multiple locations and delivering coach education.

His first stop was to our LFC IA Kunming, before heading on to both Hong Kong and then Australia. Reflecting on the visits, Dan said: “It’s been an amazing trip, and as always it’s brilliant to spend time with our Academies around the world, talking to staff, seeing sessions being delivered and of course meeting young players who all share our passion for LFC.”

October Soccer Schools

In October we hosted our last Soccer School of the year where we welcomed young Reds for a two-day Soccer Schools and Goalkeeping Masterclass at the LFC Academy.

Click here to find out more about LFC Soccer Schools in 2026 and sign up to register your interest.

November

LFC International Academy players visit for team tours

In November, we welcomed the first group of players from LFC International Academies in the USA who were joining us for a Team Tour. They spent a week with our LFC IA coaches, learning to play the Liverpool way, ending the week with an afternoon at Anfield for their closing presentation and a look behind-the-scenes with a tour of our iconic stadium.

December

Christmas Volunteering

Once again, the LFC International Academy team in Liverpool ended the year by offering their time to help Cash for Kids with their Mission Christmas campaign. They spent a day sorting and packing toys to support the amazing work that is being done to help disadvantaged young children in the local area.