Our Mission Statement

At Alicante City FC Academy, our mission is to provide a transformative football experience that transcends borders and empowers aspiring players from around the world. We are dedicated to nurturing talent, harnessing and cultivating passion from within, and offering a platform for global talented players to shine within the Spanish football pyramid.

We are driven by the pursuit of excellence and guided by a commitment to development, aspiring to reach full potential and the highest of standards both on and off the pitch. We want to shape our young players into well-rounded, skilled and confident individuals, allowing them to be the very best version of themselves, not only as athletes but also as people. We believe in the power of football to unite cultures, inspire growth and forge lasting connections.

By combining physical, technical and intellectually stimulating activities with state-of-the-art technology, we look to make the most of the time that a player spends with us, ensuring that when they leave, they will leave with the understanding that they have taken an important step towards their future. This provides our players with personal and professional progression, with our academy being a stepping stone towards a brighter footballing future.

Both on the pitch and behind the scenes, our staff operate with honesty, transparency and unwavering integrity. We believe in candid communication, ensuring that each player understands the value that we offer to them, during their time with us and in the future. Although we cannot manifest dreams into reality for our players, we do provide them with a springboard to shape their future.

Our Promise

As we operate with honesty, transparency and integrity, unlike other academy’s you may have seen – we will not promise outcomes to our players that are not guaranteed, such as; “professional contract offers within a month”, “trials with La Liga clubs within a month”, or any other promise that you may see or hear from academy’s. Our promises are simple and are clear:

1.     We will provide you with high quality training in a competitive environment at state-of-the-art facilities with like-minded players who are also looking to reach their potential.

2.     You will receive continual guidance from our experienced coaches who have designed a program with extensive knowledge of what young players need to reach their potential.

3.     You will have the opportunity to showcase your talent either organically in the league fixtures or through showcase matches that are specifically arranged with the purpose of exposure.

4.     We want you to develop as young men and not just as players, you will receive life skills lessons while you are with us. Our program requires discipline and this is instilled from day one.

5.     We collaborate with current and former ACFC Academy players to ensure our experience always offers the best value.

Our message is also clear - only apply if you have the discipline and dedication to follow an intense training schedule and are willing to listen to coaches and follow their guidance to help you reach your potential.

Live in a residence that has everything at your fingertips

At the ACFC Soccer Academy, we aim to give our players the necessary tools required to become the best football player that they can be. Our modern facilities help our players to develop and improve their skills, not only on our training pitch, but also in the gym. Our our private villa has it’s own swimming pool, basketball net, table tennis table, pool table and other amenities to ensure our players are comfortable and stimulated during down time.

Our Team

FRANCISCO ‘PANCHO' GUERRERO, 1st team head coach

Not many football clubs can boast a world cup winning goal scorer as their first team coach, but that´s exactly who we have here at ACFC. Pancho scored in Argentina U20´s win against Brazil in the 1995 Youth World Cup. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Pancho played at the very top level in his native country of Argentina, spending the majority of his time at the world famous club Independiente before moving to Switzerland to play for 2 of Switzerland's biggest clubs, FC Zurich and FC Basel.

Moving into coaching, Pancho has coached at Alicante CF & CD Campello (Spain) and Coquimbo Unido & CD O Higgins (Chile) before joining ACFC midway through the 2021/22 season, where he guided the team to their highest ever finish of 5th place.

Phil Phillipou, U19 head COACH & DIRECTOR OF COACHING METHODOLOGY

Phil joined ACFC Academy in 2017, having previously coached at Crystal Palace FC. After moving to Spain, Phil gained a Masters degree in Talent Identification and Player Development from Real Madrid.

In addition to his role at the as U19s coach, Phil works as the Director of Methodology at Alicante City FC.

CHRIS HAYS, ACADEMY DIRECTOR

Chris coached at New York Red Bulls during his 4 year stay in the US where he built a large network with clubs, colleges and coaches. He has guided our players from the previous 3 seasons through their time in Spain and overseen their next steps whether this be joining an external club, returning on a scholarship or assisting with college applications.

Chris developed and pioneered ACFC Academy's "life skill" lessons which was designed and is taught to help our players with their future outside of the pitch to compliment the lessons they learn on the field.

David de la Hera, SPORTING DIRECTOR

As Sporting Director, David brings a wealth of professional football experience to the ACFC academy. As a former midfielder, David spent much of his playing career in La Liga, having played for Hércules, Elche and UD Llieda in his 12 year playing career.

David has also coached at several professional clubs throughout Spain and works to secure trials for our players through his extensive network of contacts, both in Spain and other countries.

David works closely with the coaches from the 1st team, U23s team and U19s team, identifying the talent from within the club. Together, the coaching team then decides on the best route of progression for their players.

Craig O’Donoghue, u23/B-Team head coach

Craig joins our team as a part of our partnership with ‘The Steven Gerrard Academy’ as Head Coach of the U23s. Craig has previously coached at several football academy systems in England, including Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Everton, as well as with Brisbane Roar in Australia.

Craig’s wealth of experience of working with younger players in professional football clubs is extremely beneficial for players who have not previously had access to elite level coaching.

life skills

For the majority of our ACFC Soccer Academy players, this will be their first time living abroad, separately from their families or guardians. What we try to instill in our players is the ability to live independently, with the skillset to solve problems themselves and to take responsibility for their own lives. 

We have built a solid reputation with clubs, organisations, managers, coaches and players for not only developing high level players, but also for having a team of hard working, eager, respectful, independent players. At ACFC Soccer Academy, our off the field traits are as important as our behaviour on the field. 

To help prepare players for their future journeys, we offer various life skills sessions and workshops, alongside ongoing daily support.  These vary from personal growth classes and mental health awareness sessions, to more professional skills such as CV and application writing sessions, interview techniques and preparation classes, presentation skills, along with media training.