For Cat 1, 2 & 3 Academy Players · You Are Not Alone

This Isn't the End. It's Your Next Chapter.

If you've just been released from a professional academy, we know how that feels. Abandoned. Angry. Lost. That feeling is valid, and it doesn't have to be where your story stops.

Best Pathway is building something for players exactly like you: a dedicated app with guidance, support and a clear pathway forward. Register now for early access when it launches.

Register for Early Access See the App
Sponsored by Beach.io SeventyTwo Sports Group

We Hear You

Release Day Is Brutal. You're Allowed to Feel It.

Every year, Category 1, 2 and 3 academies release hundreds of talented young players. Often with little notice, minimal support, and no clear plan for what comes next.

You gave years to a system that wasn't built to carry everyone through. You trained, sacrificed, and believed. And now you're standing at a crossroads wondering if it was all for nothing.

It wasn't. Some of the best careers in football started after an academy release. This moment can become the turning point if you have the right support and direction.

Feeling abandoned?

One conversation, a letter, and then silence. The club moves on. You're left to figure it out alone.

Feeling angry or betrayed?

You did everything they asked. The system told you to trust the process, then the process ended without you.

Feeling directionless?

No roadmap. No one explaining your options. Just a gap where your daily structure and identity used to be.

Ready to reframe?

Release is not rejection of your potential. It's a redirect, and with the right guidance, your next step can be stronger than your last.

A Different Lens

Reframe Release as the Start of Something New

The players who come back strongest aren't the ones who never got released. They're the ones who found a new pathway, rebuilt with purpose, and proved the system wrong.

Clarity

Understand your options (non-league, scholarships, trials, IDP pathways) without the noise and confusion.

Support

Guidance from people who understand elite youth football, not generic advice, but pathway-specific help.

Momentum

A structured plan so you're moving forward within days, not months of drifting and doubting yourself.

App Preview

The Best Pathway App Built for This Moment

A dedicated app for released academy players: your pocket guide to the next step. Register now and be first in when it launches.

Personal mentor video from Leon Best: You're not done, not by a long shot
Mentor welcome video
The next 90 days: your head, your habits and your reps
Next 90 days plan
Knowledge hub articles on mental health, career management and recovery
Knowledge hub
Starter development plan with technical, mental and tactical goals
Starter development plan
App home screen with today's focus, mentors and knowledge picks
App home dashboard
What's included on the pathway: mentor, development plan, workshops and more
What's included

Clear pathway options tailored to your age and level

Individual development support from elite football specialists

Community of players who've been through the same thing

Trial alerts, opportunities and next-step guidance

Who This Is For

Players recently released, or facing release, from Category 1, 2 or 3 professional academies in England.

Whether you're U12 or U21, whether it happened yesterday or last month, if you're looking for direction, support and hope, this is your place.

Cat 1 Released Cat 2 Released Cat 3 Released Parents & Guardians Early Access

Proudly Sponsored By

Beach.io Digital innovation for sport
SeventyTwo Sports Group Elite youth football development

This initiative exists because young players deserve better than being left without a pathway. Our sponsors share that belief.

Register for Early Access

Free to register. No payment required. Tell us a little about yourself and we'll notify you the moment the Best Pathway app is ready, plus send guidance to help you in the meantime.

Free to register. No payment required. We'll email you when the Best Pathway app launches.

Share this page with a teammate, friend or parent who needs it. bestpathway.com/released

"Being released doesn't define you. What you do next does."

Best Pathway