Develop the person, build the player

The FDS Shadow Squads aim to develop young professional footballers through high professional standards on and off the pitch, by encouraging players to take responsibility for their own football career and focusing on technical excellence.

Our Shadow Squad programme delivers an intense experience that demands the full commitment of players. It includes the following:

UEFA Licenced Coaches
Weekly training
Professional Match Programme
European Tournaments
Practice and Homework
Professional Standards on and off the Pitch
Vision – Developing Professional Players

Develop the person

We encourage our players to take responsibility, to become independent, to conduct themselves professionally and to act as mature young men. This develops the personality of a professional player.

Build the player

Our philosophy encourages the development of technique – the most important aspect of the game. We take a long-term approach and focus on the big picture, meaning performance is more important than result.

Our style of play

We encourage our players to express themselves. Our teams play from the back and through the thirds of the pitch, to develop attacks and create chances through our own efforts, not through the opposition’s mistakes.