97
The Program

Two sides.
One athlete.

We develop the athlete on two fronts, wrapped in a flight-crew world: the athlete is the pilot, the parent is the co-pilot. Two sides, built to work together.

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The two categories

The Game & The Edge.

The Game — physical

The Physical.

Speed & agility, strength, movement, and personal skill work. The athletic base that makes everything on the pitch better.

  • Speed & agility
  • Strength & power
  • Movement & injury prevention
  • Personal skill work
The Edge — personal

The Person.

Mindset, habits, fuel & recovery, leadership & communication. The stuff top athletes swear by — done on purpose, not by chance.

  • Fuel & recovery
  • Mental fitness
  • Identity & standards
  • Leadership & communication
How it works

And it works in three layers.

Most programs stop at the first one. We think the third is where the magic is.

Layer 1 · Body

The athlete

Strength, speed, power and skill — the physical foundation.

Layer 2 · Know-how

The life skills

How to fuel, recover, hold a habit, cook a meal — the tools kids are rarely taught.

Layer 3 · People

The person

Character, confidence, and real conversations at home. The quiet layer parents notice first.

The culture

The Pilot’s Code.

Three lines. Signed at the start, painted on the wall, recommitted at every level — who we choose to be.

01
Character Over Ability
Who you are beats what you’re born with.

Most of what looks like talent is a head start — more reps, earlier. Genetics and physiology are real, but the skills can be built by anyone willing to put the work in. What’s rarer, and what lasts, is character: who you keep being when it stops being easy. That’s the part we care about most.

02
We Not Me
It’s bigger than just you. We lift each other up. Leave no one behind.

You finish, or you help someone else finish, or both. The team gets better when everyone in it does. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.

03
Operate Above the Line
Own it. Every time.

When something goes wrong you get a choice to react or respond: whinge, blame or explain it away, or own it and move on. Above the line is ownership. Below the line is excuses. We ask “how did I contribute to this?” We live above the line — even when it’s hard. And no negative talk — not about anyone else, and not about yourself.

How we show up

The 97 Training Standard.

Five rules — wherever you train. Under each is what it looks like in practice.

Be Ready
Ready before you start.
  • Show up prepared — know what today’s session is before you begin it.
  • The basics are on you: the daily work gets done on your own time, not just when someone’s watching.
  • Sleep, food and recovery are part of being ready, not extras.
Represent the Badge
You don’t wear it for you — you wear it for all of us.
  • How you treat teammates, opponents and coaches is the badge — winning, losing, or on the bench.
  • Meet people properly: look them in the eye, introduce yourself, remember names.
  • The badge is earned, not given — disrespect it, and you hand it back.
Sweep the Sheds
Leave it better than you found it.
  • Do the humble jobs nobody’s watching — and don’t wait to be asked.
  • Leave every place, and every group, better than you found it.
  • No job is beneath you; you earn respect by how you serve.
Train with Purpose
This is a privilege. Act like it.
  • Every rep has a reason — go in with intent, not just to tick it off.
  • Quality over quantity: five done right beats fifteen done wrong.
  • Full focus — you get out what you put in.
Hold the Standard
For yourself, and for the person next to you.
  • Lift each other up — no negative talk, about yourself or anyone else.
  • No whinging, no complaining, no dickheads. Simple as that.
  • If something hurts wrong, or gear’s broken, say something.
A real role for parents

You’re the Co-Pilot — not a spectator.

A parent arrives wanting a faster, stronger footballer. What they get is a young person who can start a hard conversation, cook a meal, know their own strengths, and back themselves when it’s difficult. Your role is built in — and it grows lighter as your player learns to fly.

Ages 8–10

Co-Pilot

Hands-on — you sit with them, guide execution, reinforce effort. They’re learning how to fly.

Ages 10–12

Cabin Crew

Supportive, not controlling — check-ins, reminders, structure. They’re starting to take control.

Ages 12–14

Ground Crew

Behind the scenes — they run their own schedule; you keep everything ready so they can perform.

Ages 14–16+

Control Tower

Oversight only — they fully own it; you step in for the big-picture conversations.

The speed is real. The person is the point.

Daily missions

A mission every day.

Every day has two missions — both trackable, both filmable — so progress adds up between sessions.

Move mission

Move like an athlete.

Handstands, bear crawls, balance, skipping, coordination — plus the daily basics that build robustness. The movement most young players never develop.

Touch mission

Own the ball.

Wall passing, juggling, first touch, weak-foot, ball mastery — daily technique that adds up to thousands of reps a week.

Basics Build Beasts Trackable Filmable Solid · High · Elite tiers
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Fun by design

Make it a game.

Development sticks when it’s fun. Missions, challenges, leaderboards and showcases turn the work into something kids actually want to chase — serious underneath, genuinely fun on top.

Challenges

Something to chase

Block challenges — 1,000 juggles, handstand progression, weak-foot — plus weekly streaks and event challenges. Always something to have a crack at.

Leaderboards

Solid · High · Elite

Every challenge is tiered, with leaderboards inside each group. You climb by beating your own numbers — improvement is the game.

Showcase

Filmed & celebrated

Personal bests and the End-of-Block Showcase make progress real — filmed, shared, and worth showing off.

Daily streaks Filmable PB chasing Leaderboards End-of-block showcase
The pathway

Earn your wings.

Every athlete is placed by where they actually are — not just their age — and climbs by earning the next step, not ageing into it.

Where to train

Now pick your runway.

Same program, two ways to train it. In person adds small groups, recovery and the option of 1-on-1; online brings the full Flight Plan to wherever you are.