Academy-level football, at home

The bridge between your child and academy level.

Your child trains twice a week and loves it. But the days in between are where players are really made. On The Ball Hub gives them a proven plan — built by an academy coach — that works with a ball and a wall. Every player is different, so their plan is too — and it moves at their own pace.

Join the waiting list See how it works

Launching soon. No spam - just first access when we open.

A week in the Hub

Mon · First touch
Wall work, both feet
20m
Wed · Weak foot
The one they hide
20m
Sat · 1v1s
Turns under pressure
20m
Every day · Challenge
Kick-ups · streak: 6 days
2m

Our mission

Every kid deserves the chance to be as good as they can be.

THE GAP

Two hours coached. A hundred and sixty-six not.

Kids go to session after session, then go home and do nothing with a ball until the next one. That's not a talent problem. It's a structure problem.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

All you really need is a ball and a wall.

Not more money, more clubs or more kit. Twenty minutes with a purpose, most days, beats an hour of standing in a queue waiting for a turn.

WHO IT'S FOR

Parents who want to help but don't know how.

You don't need to know football. You need to know what to put in front of them this week, and whether it's working. That's our whole job.

Who we are

Every player is different. So we coach that way.

ACADEMY COACH BUILT

Everything comes from the training pitch.

The Hub was built by Dean, an academy coach who runs one of the largest and most respected coaching set-ups in the Derby area. Every session, drill and video is his — the same work he gives the players in front of him each week, not a stock library. Hundreds of families came through his sessions asking the same car-park question: what should they be doing at home? The Hub is the answer.

→Years inside academy football and the trials process
→Knows what scouts look for — and what they write players off for
→Every drill in the Hub is his, filmed by him

A PLATFORM FOR EVERYONE

Everyone deserves their best shot.

Dean built the Hub so every player — not just the ones already on the pathway — has a platform to achieve their best. Whether they're 4 or 16, new to the game or knocking on academy's door, the plan meets them exactly where they are, finds their gaps and fills them. No queues, no comparisons, no pressure — just the next right session, every week.

→Every player is different — so we coach that way
→Their own plan, their own pace, their own goals
→Built to take them as far as they want to go

Keep going to your sessions. Then use the other five days properly.

We'd never tell you to train less. Good coaching gives your child things nothing else can. The Hub is what happens between those sessions, so the work they do with a coach actually sticks.

How it works

Ten minutes to set up. Then it's their week.

01
Create their profile
You set it up as the parent, with a profile for each child. One account, whole family.
02
Answer 30 questions
The assessment. Age, position, which foot they avoid, what they do when it gets tight, how they take a mistake.
03
Get the weekly plan
Every week, three 20-minute sessions built from those answers, plus a daily challenge. It lands, you don't chase it.
04
Watch it add up
They tick sessions off, log scores, build streaks and fill the trophy cabinet. The plan moves on as they do.

What's inside

Everything in one place.

No more screenshots of drills in your camera roll and half-watched videos on YouTube. One hub, built around your child.

The assessment

30 questions about your child, answered once. Everything else is built from it, and you can redo it as they grow.

Personalised weekly plan

Three sessions a week, 20 minutes each, chosen for your child's gaps. Not the same plan every other kid gets.

Dean's video library

Every skill, demonstrated properly by an academy coach. Search it, or just follow the plan and it serves the right one.

Daily challenges & streaks

Kick-ups, toe taps, wall passes. Two minutes, a number to beat, and a streak they won't want to break.

Trophy cabinet

Badges for the work, not just the wins. Something to fill up, and something to show Grandad on Sunday.

Progress you can see

Week 1 to week 16, laid out. Not “you're getting better” — here's what they've done and what's next.

The podcast

Dean and guests on the things parents actually worry about — trials, game time, pressure, staying in love with it.

Parent guidance

What to say in the car home. When to push and when to leave it. How to spot a gap yourself.

More than one child

Multiple profiles under one parent account, each with their own assessment and their own plan.

questions to build their personal plan

3×20

minute sessions every week

challenge a day, two minutes

extra kit needed — a ball and a wall

Coming soon

Give them their best shot.

An academy coach built the Hub so every player — whatever their level — has a platform to achieve their best. Join the list and you'll be first in when we open, with founding-member pricing held for as long as you stay. No spam, no charge to join, and we'll tell you the date the moment we have one.

Already following along on Instagram? @ontheballhub

FAQs

The questions we get asked

Should we stop going to sessions?

Absolutely not. Keep every one of them. A good coach gives your child things no app ever will. The Hub is for the days in between, so that coaching actually sticks.

Do I need to know about football?

No. You answer questions about your child, not about coaching. Dean's videos show them exactly what to do — you just make sure it happens.

What age is it for?

4 to 16. At the younger end it's short, playful and mostly about touches and confidence. At the older end it's proper technical work with real standards to hit. The plan grows with them.

How much time does it take?

Three 20-minute sessions a week and a two-minute challenge on the other days. It's built to fit around school, training and everything else — not to add another commitment to your week.

Will it actually get them to academy level?

Nobody can promise that, and we won't. What we can do is close the gap that stops most kids getting near it — no structure and nothing happening at home.

How much will it cost?

Less than a single one-to-one session, per month. Founding members keep their price for as long as they stay. Exact pricing goes to the list first.