The Best Hotels With Football Academies In Europe 2024
If you have football mad kids, you need to take a look at these hotels with football academies in Europe.
They’re a step beyond the usual five aside football pitches that you find at most hotels.
In fact, some of these football academies are run by football legends. This would be our kids’ dream!
My dream would just be to watch them play in the warm sunshine instead of the driving rain for a change.
Being a football mum in the UK, this post was inspired by years of standing on the sidelines in the feezing cold with numb feet.
Our kids are 8 and 10 and they’re a little over kids clubs these days. But give them a football and they’ll happily stay all day (and night if we let them).
I wanted to find a family holiday where there would be something I knew would keep them entertained and where they could meet other kids.
I started searching for hotels with football pitches in warmer countries and then up popped these hotels with football academies in Spain, Greece and Italy. Perfect!
Most of these hotels in Europe with football academies have other sports academies and activities going on too so there will be plenty for everyone. There are world-class spas and restaurants, kids’ clubs and more…
Or…. you could just sit by the pool sipping a cocktail while the kids are in football camp and defrost those toes!
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book something, we may earn a small commission but this is at no extra cost to you.
If you’re looking for a family holiday with a football academy or a football camp, these are the best you will find.
We have done extensive research into which hotels have football academies in Europe for our next family trip.
Some of them are not cheap. You are obviously paying a premium to train with a former football star in an uber luxurious hotel. But we have also managed to find some mid-range hotels in Europe with football camps that are much more reasonable. Read to the end to find them.
The main hotels with football academies in Europe that you might have heard of are IKOS, Sani, Holiday Villages and TUI Blue.
But there are a few more family holidays with football classes that you might not have heard of.
By the way – if you are booking with TUI, you can use code SUNSHINE for £150 off bookings of £1500 or more for departures from 31st May to 31st October 2023.
So let’s have less of this…and this… and more of football in the sun at some of the best European hotels with football academies….
Luxury hotels with football academies in Europe
Ikos Hotels
Ikos Hotels are one of the most high end family-friendly hotel chains across Greece and Spain. They are billed at the number one all-inclusive hotel group in the world. They offer plenty for kids with kids clubs and kids’ activities galore.
They also offer football academies during the school holidays.
This is the best choice if you’re looking for all inclusive holidays with football academy.
There are four Ikos hotels in Greece running football academies in partnership with football escapes.
- Ikos Oceania – luxury, all-inclusive 5 star hotel located in the Halkidiki region of Greece on a private beach. Read more about Ikos Oceania here and check prices on Booking.com, TUI or Jet2.
- Ikos Olivia – luxury, all-inclusive 5 star hotel located in the Halkidiki region of Greece on a private beach. Read more about Ikos Olivia here and check prices on Booking.com, TUI or Jet2.
- Ikos Odisia – luxury, all-inclusive 5 star hotel located on the island of Corfu (opening May 2023). Read more about Ikos Odisia here and check prices on Booking.com, TUI or Jet2.
- Ikos Dassia – luxury, all-inclusive 5 star hotel located on the island of Corfu. Read more about Ikos Dassia here and check prices on Booking.com, TUI or Jet2.
Football academy at Ikos Hotels overview
- Five-day programmes with two hours of daily coaching from legendary players from 10am – 12pm.
- Open to children aged 5-15 years old.
- Each player will receive a personalised Rascal kit along with a signed certificate and medal.
You can read more about the Ikos football academies and the dates they are running here or take a look at Football Escapes here.
Mitsis Hotels
Mitsis Hotels is the largest privately-owned hotel chain in Greece. They are working in connection with Real Madrid Foundation Clinic to provide world-class football training.
The hotels with Real Madrid football academies are based on the Greek island of Kos:
- Blue Domes Resort & Spa – ultra-all-inclusive 24h 5* family beachfront resort on a blue flag beach. Read more about Mitsis Blue Domes here and check prices on Booking.com.
- Family Village Beach Hotel – ultra-all-inclusive 4* hotel 5 minutes from the beach. Read more about Family Village here and check prices on Booking.com.
- Norida Beach Hotel – ultra-all-inclusive 24h 5* beach hotel on a blue flag beach. Read more about Norida Beach Hotel here and check prices on Booking.com.
- Ramira Beach Hotel – ultra-all-inclusive 5* hotel and their Flagship hotel on a blue flag beach. Read more about Ramira Beach Hotel here and check prices on Booking.com.
- Summer Palace Beach Hotel – ultra-all-inclusive 24h 5* resort on a blue flag beach. Read more about Summer Palace Beach Hotel here and check prices on Booking.com.
Guests staying at these hotels will be able to participate in the camp.
Football academy at Mitsis Hotels overview
- The Real Madrid Foundation Clinic will run for 7 weeks, from beginning of July to mid-August.
- Training sessions will be held on Kardamena’s football field.
- Football sessions will occur three times daily for different age groups and last 90 minutes.
- There will be around 25 kids in each training session for 5 days a week.
- Participants will get a complimentary Real Madrid Foundation training kit (jersey, shorts, and socks) and a certificate of participation will be presented at the completion of the course.
- Approximate cost of Real Madrid football academy at Mitsis Hotels: £150 for 5 days.
You can find out more about the camp including the cost here.
Sani Resort
Much like the Ikos Resorts, Sani Resort offers luxury all-inclusive accommodation for families in the Halkidiki region of Greece. The football academy is held at Sani Beach, Sani Resort’s largest hotel.
You can read more about Sani Beach here and check prices and book your hotel room on Sani Resorts or on Booking.com or Expedia.com or Jet2Holidays. Just remember to book your football sessions separately here.
Football coaching sessions are offered in association with the Chelsea FC Foundation. For obvious reasons, this is one of the best hotels in Europe with football academies for Chelsea fans. Naming no names here but we might know a couple!
By the way, if you are a Chelsea fan, read our guide to visiting Chelsea Stadium.
Football academy at Sani Beach overview
- Football academy is for children aged 4 – 16.
- Sessions are held six days a week and are two hours long with 1 – 4 participants.
- Prices start from €135 per day for children aged 4- 6 and from €150 per day for children age 7 – 16. 10% discount for children in the same family.
Read more about the Sani Beach Chelsea FC Football academy here.
Forte Village Sardinia
Forte Village Sardinia is a resort made up of several luxury hotels located in the very south of Sardinia.
The following hotels in the resort are family friendly.
Forte Village Bougainville – check price and book on Booking.com.
Forte Village Hotel Le Palme – check price and book on Booking.com.
Forte Village Hotel II Borgo – check price and book on Booking.com.
Forte Village Hotel Pineta – check price and book on Booking.com.
Football academy at Forte Village overview
For children under the age of 16, there is a football academy run by Fundación Real Madrid Clinic.
You can read more about the football academy at Forte Village here.
Porto Elounda Golf & Spa Resort
Porto Elounda Golf & Spa resort is an award-winning luxury hotel on one of the finest beaches in Elounda in Crete.
You can book Porto Elounda Golf & Spa directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com.
Football academy at Porto Elounda Golf & Spa overview
During the summer months, The Valencia Academy of the Valencia Club de Futbol offers a football academy for kids (Valencia Soccer School Camp) and the training is based on how the first team plays.
Pine Cliffs Resort
Pine Cliffs Resort is located in the Algarve in Portugal and offers a selection of suites, villas and residences.
Pine Cliffs is one of the best hotels with football academies in Portugal. The perfect family accommodation with football academy attached.
If you feel like to want to explore more of Portugal, we highly recommend Porto. We have a post on visiting Porto with kids which is packed with things to do and where to stay and eat.
You can book Pine Cliffs Resort directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com or Jet2Holidays.
The Pine Cliffs Resort football academy overview
The football academy at Pine Cliffs Resort is run by Estima Sports who run hotel football academies at five resorts in the Algarve in Portugal.
See also: Boavista Spa & Golf Resort, Cascade Wellness Resort, Tivoli Marina Vilamoura and Penina Hotel and Golf Resort.
- The soccer coaching programmes are aimed at children aged 5 – 16.
- They run through the school holidays (including February, Easter, May and October).
- They offer 3,5,7 and 10 day packages. 3 days start at €210.
You can read more about the football academy at Pine Cliffs here.
Chia Laguna Resort
Chia Laguna Resort is located in Sardinia
You can book Chia Laguna Resort directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com.
Chia Laguna football academy overview
There are two football courses on offer at Chia Laguna:
Inspire Soccer Academy – organised by Premier League Professionals. For kids age 6 – 15 there are two sessions a day. Each child receives a kit with the Academy logo. Cost – €550 per week.
Juventus Resort Experience – run by Juventus coaches. For kids age 5 – 16. Children will receive a Juventus jersey and the course includes football skills, nutrition and a final tournament. Cost – €550 per week.
Read more about the football academy at Chia Laguna here.
Sun Gardens Dubrovnik
Sun Gardens Dubrovnik is a stunning, family-friendly 5-star hotel located 11km from Dubrovnik in Croatia.
There is a hotel in the resort but the residences are more suitable for families.
You can book Sun Gardens Dubrovnik directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com, Jet2 or TUI.
Sun Gardens Dubrovnik football academy overview
- The academy runs from early June to the end of September.
- Football Academy attendees will be divided into groups, depending on age.
- The size of each training group will be 5 to 30 children.
- 6 training sessions a week from 09:00 to 10:30.
- Saturdays are reserved for a football tournament or match.
- Each participant will receive a Nike sports sack with a Nike T-shirt, shorts and socks and a certificate with a medal on completion.
- The academy costs from €360 per child for 3 days, €460 for 4 days and €550 for 5 days .
You can read more about the Sun Gardens football academy here and here.
The Grove
The Grove is a 5-star luxury hotel in Hertfordshire just outside of London. If you can’t get away this summer and are looking for a hotel in the UK with a football academy, this could be the one for you. It’s the ultimate UK staycation for football families.
This is where the England football team stay when they’re playing at Wembley so it is quite fitting that there should be a football academy for kids here. You never know – you may be in with a chance of bumping into them if you time your visit right.
It is also one of our top recommendations for family hotels near the Harry Potter Studio tour.
You can book The Grove directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com.
The Grove football academy overview
- The football academy at The Grove is run by Football Escapes.
- Running across three days (Monday to Wednesday or Tuesday to Thursday).
- Each daily session will last for two hours.
- Suitable for boys and girls aged from five to 15 and designed for all playing abilities.
- Each player will receive their own full personalised Rascal kit, as well as a medal on completion of the camp.
2023 camps are being run around the bank holidays in May and August.
Read more about the football academy at The Grove here.
Mid-range hotels with football academies in Europe
TUI Blue Hotels
TUI Blue hotels are a pick of the best hotels in the TUI group. Six of these TUI Blue hotels are hotels with football academies in Europe.
The TUI BLUE for Families hotels are designed for families and focus on wellbeing. Their Healthy Eating Challenge encourages youngsters to try new foods.
There are professionally run swimming lessons and family wellbeing classes to help you to relax while practising mindfulness.
- TUI BLUE Flamingo Beach – TUI Blue Flamingo Beach is located in Lanzarote with a secluded beach area and waterpark a 10-minute walk away. Read more about TUI Blue Flamingo Beach here. Check prices and book with TUI or Booking.com.
- TUI BLUE Grupotel Turquesa Mar – TUI BLUE Grupotel Turquesa Mar is located in Menorca with the beach a 10-minute walk away. Read more about TUI BLUE Grupotel Turquesa Mar here. Check prices and book with TUI or Expedia.com. This is a great choice if you’re looking for mid-range hotels in Spain with football academies.
- TUI BLUE Atlantica Creta Paradise – TUI BLUE Atlantica Creta Paradise is located on the beach in Crete. Read more about TUI BLUE Atlantica Creta Paradise here. Check prices and book with TUI or Booking.com.
- TUI BLUE Atlantica Aegean Park – TUI BLUE Atlantica Aegean Park is located in Rhodes with a pebbly beach a 5-minute walk away. Read more about TUI Blue Atlantica Aegean Park here. Check prices and book with TUI.
- TUI BLUE Atlantica Caldera Beach – TUI BLUE Atlantica Caldera Beach is located in Crete on a beach. Read more about TUI BLUE Atlantica Caldera Beach here. Check prices and book with TUI or Booking.com.
- TUI BLUE Tropical – TUI BLUE Tropical is located on a sandy beach in the Dalaman area of Turkey. Read more about TUI BLUE Tropical here. Check prices and book with TUI or Booking.com.
Football academy at TUI BLUE Hotels overview
- TUI BLUE Football Academies are football-themed holiday clubs for kids at selected TUI BLUE For Families hotels.
- These payable coaching sessions are tailored to children aged four to 15 years and led by UEFA-qualified coaches.
- Sessions are 60-minutes long and run six days a week. You can choose between 2,3 and 4 sessions a week. 2 sessions is €40, 3 sessions is €54 and 4 sessions is €67.
- Sessions are available from the beginning of June to the beginning of September. See link below for winter sessions in Lanzarote.
You can read more about the TUI Blue holidays with football academies here.
Holiday Villages
Holiday Villages by First Choice offer families endless activities and entertainment and family-friendly facilities. First Choice is part of the TUI group so you can expect very similar style holiday to the ones listed above.
They have two resorts that run football academies:
Holiday Village Turkey – Sessions with FA or UEFA-qualified coaches for ages 5 to 16 and are payable locally. You can book Holiday Village Turkey on the First Choice website here.
Holiday Village Costa del Sol – Sessions with FA or UEFA-qualified coaches for ages 4 to 15 and are payable locally. You can book Holiday Village Costa del Sol on the First Choice website here.
La Manga Club Resort
La Manga Club Resort is a family villa holiday resort in Murcia in Spain offering a huge range of sports and activities for kids. It is billed at the No.1 sports resort in Europe. It is one of the best hotels with football academies in Spain
Accommodation is mostly in the form of villas (from 2 to 7 bedrooms). There is also a 5-star Grand Hyatt hotel with family rooms if you prefer to stay in a hotel.
You can book La Manga Club Resort directly for the best prices.
Football academy at La Manga overview
- Football courses run through the Easter and summer holidays.
- Traning sessions are offered for kids aged 6 – 16. Sessions last 90 minutes for kids age 6-9 and 2 hours for kids age 10 – 16.
- Cost of the football academy at La Manga is €285 per week or €70 per day.
They also offer football world cup tournaments for kids aged 7 – 16. They last around an hour. If you are booked onto the football academy, you get discounted entry into the world cup tournament.
You can read more about La Manga Club football academy here.
THB Hotels
THB Tropical Island is a 4 star all-inclusive family hotel in Playa Blanca in Lanzarote.
You can book THB Tropical Island directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or TUI or Jet2.
THB San Fermin is a 4 star family friendly hotel in Malaga (15 min transfer from the airport) on the Costa del Sol and offers all boards except all-inclusive.
You can book THB San Fermin directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or TUI or Jet2.
Football academy at THB Hotels overview
The football camps are run through the school holidays by The Game Elite Academy.
There are mini baller sessions for age 3 – 5 which run over 5 days (45 minute sessions per day). Cost is €60 per child with 10% discount for siblings. Or you can per pay session (€12).
There are also children’s player development football camps for age 5 – 15 which run over 5 days.
The course costs €220 with a 10% discount for siblings. Or you can book individual 2 hour sessions for €25 or a full day for €44 (including lunch).
The course includes daily training sessions, Kappa Kit, medals and certificates, as well as a Q&A session with a special guest.
You can read more about the football camp at THB Hotels here. Bookings can be made by emailing: sales@thegamesportsgroup.com or here. Use THBTHEGAME1 promo code for a 15% discount.
Verdura Resort Sicily
Verdura Resort on the west coast of Sicily offers elegant accommodation in hotel rooms, suites and villas.
The resort is very family-friendly with a kids’ club and kids menus. This is a good option if you’re looking for hotels with football academies in Italy.
You can book Verdura Resort directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com.
Verdura Resort football academy overview
The football camp at Verdura Resort is aimed at kids age 6 – 14. It is run by Italian football hero Gianluca Zambrotta.
Young players leave with an official training kit, photos and selfies taken with their on-pitch heroes and autographs from our Legends as well as unforgettable sporting memories
Single lesson: two hours, €120.
Three-lesson package: €350.
Four-lesson package: €430.
Five-lesson package: €495.
Seven-lesson package: €535.
2023 training dates are TBC. See here for confirmed dates for other sports academies.
You can read more about Verdura Resort football academy here.
Aphrodite Hills Resort
Aphrodite Hills Resort is located on the island of Cyprus and offers a 5-star hotel and holiday rentals.
You can book Aphrodite Hills Resort directly or check prices and book on Booking.com or Expedia.com or Jet2Holidays.
Aphrodite Hills football academy overview
- They offer a full programme during the UK school holidays and a part-programme at other times.
- Training takes place on their new 3G pitch.
- There is coaching for 2 – 5 year olds and 6 – 16 year olds. Private lessons are also available.
- All Children receive an Exclusive Dream Team Certificate and Medal.
- Guests of Aphrodite Hills receive a 10% discount on the cost of the courses.
1 Hour = €20, -10% = €18.
1.5 Hours = €30, – 10% = €27.
2 x Hours = €40, – 10% = €36.
Read more about the Dream Team Soccer School here.
Quinto di Lago
Quinto di Lago, located in the Algarve in Portugal is billed as Europe’s finest golf, leisure and lifestyle resort.
Holiday rentals at Clube da Quinta are perfect for families. If you want to stay in a hotel, the cottages at The Magnolia Hotel are great for families.
Enjoy free transfers to The Campus for all sports camps from Quinta do Lago’s family accommodation options.
Football academy at Quinto di Lago overview
The football traning is held at Campus, a state-of-the-art performance and innovation environment.
Soccer camps at The Campus offers soccer coaching to kids aged 5 – 15.
You can read more about the Quinto di Lago football academy here.
We hope you have enjoyed this list of hotels with football academies in Europe. Maybe we’ll see you at one of them!