05
Aug
Former Leeds United footballer to open football academy in Knaresborough
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A former Leeds United footballer is establishing a football academy in Knaresborough next month.
Luke Ayling, 33, who currently plays for Middlesbrough, established the Luke Ayling Football Academy to “pave the pathway for aspiring young footballers to reach their full potential on and off the pitch”.
The academy aims to provide top-level coaching for children in the area.
The official launch day will begin at 1pm on Saturday, September 6, at King James School.
The academy offers tailored coaching programmes for individuals and small group training sessions. It says that individual player development “is at the core of everything we do”.
Ayling said:
I’m incredibly grateful to be in a position where I can open my own Football Academy to share my passion for the game and create opportunities for children and young people to access top quality coaching on their doorstep.
Having spent a large part of my playing career in Yorkshire, this is where I now call home. It’s only fitting that I start my Academy in a place that has given me so much support and many good times during my career.
My motivation is to use football to engage and inspire young footballers of all abilities in my local community.
My ambition is that LA Academy becomes a real hub for talent, providing a creative, nurturing and positive environment that enables players to maximise their potential on and off the pitch.
(L to R) Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper, Luke Ayling and Mateusz Klich.
Luke Ayling started his career in the Arsenal academy aged eight. In 2010, a year after signing his first professional contract, he moved to Yeovil Town, where he spent four years before moving to Bristol City.
Transferring to Leeds United in 2016, he spent eight years at the club before moving to Middlesbrough in 2024. Ayling was a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship-winning side in 2020.
To join a free taster session on the academy’s launch day, click here and complete the form on their website. Limited places are available.
For more information, visit their Instagram page here, or their website here.
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