About Us

The Academy was set up in 2011 as from my experienced background there was never enough time at grassroots club training to focus on individual player development, and this is simply what we are about. A parent quote defines our ethos very accurately ‘He was an amazing coach for Lewis, he doesn’t just teach them football, it’s their well-being and mindset he changes.’ This is what we ask our coaching team to deliver in all of our academy sessions.

The Coaching Team

The Academy staff are all very carefully selected, read all about them below.

Ady Milne – Academy Director
UEFA B Qualified Coach, with over 35 years coaching experience, and has also held posts of Head of Youth Football at a couple of community football clubs. Ady has experience of coaching and managing in the UK and in a total to date attended over 50 International tours and tournaments.

Ben Sawyer – Lead Academy Coach
Ben manages the Academies and works in all areas of the academy as well as delivering football at all levels of the ACS International School in Egham, St Marys School, Ascot, St Georges School Ascot and Charters School.  Ben will also join us in Sweden at the Gothia Cup. 

Leighton Rudd – Coach
Leighton is a great young coach and also a local goalkeeper who helps out with the main academies, holiday camps, private coaching sessions and runs sessions at our Goalkeeping Academy. You can also book birthday parties where Leighton will lead the parties brilliantly.

James Docherty – Coach

Hannah Morrison – Coach
Hannah is an excellent coach who helps at our Junior Academies and delivers fantastic sessions at the Girls and Youth Academy as well as running Girls football sessions locally. Hannah will attend with our girls team in Sweden in July. 

Ciaran McGuire – Coach
A teacher at a local school, Ciaran is a superb goalkeeping coach and a great addition to the coaching team.  He will continue to work with the older goalkeepers at the academy in the current academic year. 

Luke Russell – Coach
Luke continues as part of the coaching team at our highly popular Goalkeeping Academy and we look forward to working with Luke this academic year. Luke also heads the U13 squad going to Sweden in the Gothia Cup. He is an avid Brentford FC fan following them all over the country. 

Laura Price – Coach
Laura has been working as a football coach for the past 3 years with children of all ages. She always lives and breathes football, playing at a good level myself up until she had her two children which has now led her into the coaching side of football. Teaching children football skills, developing their understanding of the game and helping their confidence grow are just some of the qualities that make her job so rewarding. Laura also helps run football parties and 1-1 sessions for the academy. 

Sam Swyer – Coach
Sam is currently the number one goalkeeper for Frimley Green, while also being dual registered with Ascot. Alongside his playing career, Sam is studying Sports Coaching at college and has been coaching with Phoenix for just over a year at both the goalkeeping academy and junior academies.

Nathan Nicholls – Coach
A keen goalkeeper, Nathan has been working with us in the goalkeeping academy for a couple of years and although now at university is a regular back at the academy when he is able to, providing an excellent set of sessions to our younger goalkeepers and lots of fun at the camps.  

George Weir – Coach
George is a PE support teacher a a local independent school and helps run the junior academy.  An excellent addition to the team and I am sure we will see George assisting with other projects in 2025.    

Luke Osborne – Coach

Alexander Hussey – Coach

Alan Rudd – Coach

Will McTavish – Coach