Football
The standard and profile of independent school football has been growing at an exponential rate in recent years with many of England’s brightest talents having leant their trade in such establishments.
The College runs four Senior boys’ teams in the Michaelmas Term with one Junior team. In the Lent Term, there are five Senior teams (U18, U17) and five Junior teams (U16, U15). At every level teams train three times a week and compete in fixtures every Saturday.
Marlborough College’s expanding and progressive football programme has, in recent years, fostered links with national organisations and professional clubs so as to provide aspiring footballers with the opportunity of combining their passion with a world-class education. It is our belief that young footballers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their academics, or anything for that matter, in pursuit of football. As one of the country’s elite schools, Marlborough College is uniquely placed to offer a truly holistic programme for its pupils and to develop sporting and academic excellence.
Riccardo De Rosa
Head of Football
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Facilities
In the Michaelmas Term, there are four football pitches and in Lent this doubles to eight. The 1st XI have the privilege of playing on the Athletics track which is one of the best facilities on the circuit. Footballers also have access to our state-of-the-art Performance Gym and Human Movement Studio for focused athletic development sessions. There are also pupil forums and lectures centred on well-being and social development to encourage holistic progress.
Fixtures
The South West Independent School league (SWIS), created in 2019, consists of Clifton, Sherborne, Monmouth, Bristol Grammar School and Malvern. In addition, Marlborough also competes in the ISFA accredited Central Independent School League (CISL) consisting of MCS, Oxford, Oratory, Reading, Radley College, Shiplake College, St Edward’s, Oxford and Wellington. Having a competitive inter-school league enables players to build resilience and an additional sense of community. Marlborough won the inaugural SWIS league, with the CISL league being postponed due to COVID-19.
The College have run a number of tours in recent years with destinations including Belgium, Holland, Spain and Italy. As well as international tours there are a number of regional and national tours where Marlborough play many of the best private schools in the country as well as professional football clubs.
Collaborations
At Marlborough, you can benefit from our extensive links with Swindon Town Football Club allowing you to play for the College and the Club itself. You will receive first-rate coaching from UEFA licensed coaches who have significant experience in academy youth football and will seek to develop every part of your game in accordance with the FA’s development model and the England DNA. The College has also developed links with US football providers for those players who have an interest in playing abroad.