We are delighted to announce the launch of a Women's Chester Academy in September 2025. The academy will play in the university league and against top-tier women's teams in the north west region of England. In addition, players will also have the opportunity to compete for Chester City Ladies and/or other clubs in higher tiers of the English women's game under the direction of our UDA staff.

The initial squad will comprise students from around the USA.Our Women’s Recruitment Director, Brenton Dawson has been developing a pool of qualified women both on and off the field from across the USA over the last two years. For 2025, we already have 14 student-athletes committed to joining our program. These women visited the University of Chester last summer where they were able to meet the coaching staff and academic faculty, view facilities, and see the iconic city of Chester. 
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This winter break, Jax Hundt stayed on campus and spent his time training with the GCAFC First Team. 

Jax has had the opportunity to train with the Firsts before, but this time he was able to spend even more time with the team and coaching staff.

"Getting my initial chance to be a part of the First Team’s game subs was proof that hard work pays off! Before that I had had the privilege to practice with them a few times and then I had the honor to be a part of the team on game day versus Bristol City. The atmosphere and pace are exactly what I have been looking forward to. I respect their competitive nature because it reflects my own. I long for the physicality and aggressive level of their play."

Jax isn't the only UDA student-athlete who has been able to train with the First Team. We've had several student-athletes who have all been invited to spend a few training sessions at the next level.

Over winter break, Jax trained with the First Team during every practice. "I got to warm-up with them twice before their games and I even traveled to an away game with their captain Hanksy and Spencer. I always feel welcomed by the players and coaches. The way they prepare before the games is similar to a whole elite training session. I definitely feel like I belong and fit in as a part of the team and I am extremely excited for more opportunities to play with the first team and to get to have big moments with them!"

Thank you Jax for sharing your winter break experience with us! This is just one example of the opportunities our student-athletes have when they take their university and soccer experience abroad. ​

Read the University of Gloucestershire's article

​An international football programme supported by University of Gloucestershire and headed up by former Football League coaches and players has achieved a landmark success.

Ty Lake has become the first student from the UDA Soccer Academy, in partnership with US-based University Degrees Abroad (UDA), to make a first-team appearance for National League North club Gloucester City FC.

The central defender made his debut for Gloucester City in a 4-1 win over Bristol Rovers in the quarter-finals of the Gloucestershire FA Challenge Cup, while other students from the programme, Shane Pierson and Jaxson Hundt, were among the substitutes and Mikkiel Graham was involved in the training squad.

“Being called up to the first team was a great opportunity and experience all around,” said Ty. “I had the chance to get on the pitch and play for quality minutes, and it was surreal being in the environment and playing at that level.”

The UDA Academy is an international player-scholar cohort of students from around the world, coached and supported by UDA for the duration of their degree at the University.

It provides student athletes with access to internationally recognised university degree programmes, a developmental football experience and opportunity for multiple pathways into football within a fully integrated university experience.

Designed to match top-level European development academies, it offers the opportunity to be trained by professional, UEFA licensed coaches and exposure to professional visiting coaches from the English leagues.

Manesh Madhu, International Marketing and Student Recruitment Manager (Americas and Middle East) at the University, said: “In a very short space of time, nine students have been training with the Gloucester City first-team squad, which showcases the level of playing ability within the UDA Academy.

“The UDA Academy offers an incredible opportunity for international scholars to gain qualifications from the University while also experiencing a professional football environment.”

Mal Saville, UDA Program Director, said: “This opportunity allowed the players involved to witness first-hand what they need to do after graduation, to be able to continue playing, either in Europe, or back home, perhaps in the States.

“UDA will continue to create opportunities for all our players, at various levels and wherever their individual optimal level is.”

After an extensive search, we are pleased to announce that Ryan Davies who holds a B.Sc Sports Coaching from the University of South Wales is joining the UDA Academy at the University of Gloucestershire on December 1st.

Mal Saville, Program Director at UDA Gloucester and John Dyke, Program Director at UDA Chester oversaw the process and helped select Ryan from a pool of exceptional candidates. ​

At UDA, we encourage our student-athletes to push their limits and apply their knowledge in the real world. This part summer, third-year student, Reed Johnson did just that.

Reed is pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Software Engineering, and was offered a paid, full-time internship at Atlas Copco in Wales as a Mechatronics Engineer. 

While working on the Research and Development Controls Team developing software for high precision automotive robotics, he independently developed a new feature which will be released within the upcoming months to well-known clients such as Ford, Tesla, and many other automotive companies around the world.
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In addition to this major project, he was a part of the Atlas Copco’s Global Industrial Internship Program where he worked on a team with other interns from around the world on strategic topics for Atlas Copco. His team was tasked with designing solutions which would improve digital automation across the company’s work units and project managers.

As a team, they traveled at the end of August to present their proposal to senior management at the corporate headquarters in Nacka, Sweden, right outside Stockholm. This was the conclusion of his amazing summer internship experience at Atlas Copco, after which his focus will shift back to training and finishing up his final year of study to complete his degree in Software Engineering.
 
Reed notes that his internship has been an invaluable experience and has allowed him to connect with a fantastic company and with many great individuals, while having real world work experience and working on code for this Atlas Copco.

We love hearing about these opportunities for our student-athletes as we want them to be set up for success after graduation.

​Congrats, Reed! 

Gloucester City Women have reached the Third Qualifying Round of the Women’s FA Cup for the first time, following a 2-0 win over Bath City Women – in front of a record crowd at the TigerTurf Stadium.

Goals from Kally Lloyd and Rakiya Morgan-King were enough to see Gloucester claim victory in a fairly scrappy cup tie, as an attendance of 187 looked on.

The attendance is the third time this season that Gloucester City Women have broken their own record, having seen crowds of 142 and 150 in their two previous home matches.

Alongside the crowd numbers, City have now beaten their best run in the Women’s FA Cup, which came in the 2021/22 season, when they were beaten at this stage by Ilminster Town.

The hosts started fast, with Maggie Neall sending a free kick over the bar inside the first three minutes.
Then on 11 minutes a corner was swung into the box and Kally Lloyd’s header looped up and landed over the line, despite a scramble of bodies trying to keep it out.

The goal settled City down and it should have been made two soon after, but Meg Prout did everything right bar the finish after shrugging off a defender, before sliding an effort off the foot of the far post.
Prout went close again just before half time, but skied her effort from Lloyd’s pull back.
Beth Davies dribbled forward from midfield on the brink of the break, but her effort was deflected wide for a corner.
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It hadn’t been a typically efficient City performance, but they were ahead at the break.
Paige Todd found herself in down the left moments after the restart, but flashed her effort across goal, before Lloyd found herself in a similar position on the right hand side, but had her effort blocked by the feet of Bath City keeper, Sadie Farley.

Farley was called into action again just after the hour mark, as she palmed a header away as City went in search of their second.

Todd skipped past her marker again moments later after cutting the ball across goal from the byline, substitute Kacie Anderson somehow turned the ball wide from about two yards.

The longer the game stayed 1-0, the more nervy the TigerTurf Stadium became in the final quarter of an hour – especially after Bath began to push further forward.

Tara Taylor tested Ashli Whitbury with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

With five minutes left on the clock, Todd found space down the left again and crossed for Morgan-King, who produced a great first touch to create space to blast home past Farley.

The victory earns Gloucester City Women a place in the hat for the Third Qualifying Round draw, with the next round on Sunday 22 October and takes their earnings for this season’s cup run to a guaranteed £5800 as it stands.

Next up for Gloucester City Women is a tough test with the visit of Bitton Ladies to the TigerTurf Stadium, next weekend.

Gloucester City Women: Whitbury, Golding, Neall, Davies, Lloyd, Todd, Slanina-Wertz, Fuks, Ross, Esplin, Prout

Subs: Ambrey, Kantorowicz, Lewis, Morgan-King, Anderson, Simmons, Hancock

Bath City Women: Farley, Wells, Bellotti, Gray, Harris, Taylor, Harvey, Key, Goater, Wright, Sabic
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Subs: Black, Jefferies
C Martin Roofing Player of the Match – Ainsley Fuks (Gloucester City Women)