A structured plaque programme for sport academies. Parents order directly — each plaque is personalised, club-branded, and part of a recognition journey that runs from U8s through to U21s, before connecting into the Legacy Programme for first-team milestones.
Launch partnerSwansea City AFC · June 2026
Age groupsU8 through U21
PersonalisationName · Squad number · Kit variant
Club adminMinimal — parents order direct
FormatA4 · A5 · Metal finish
The programme
A permanent record of a player’s academy career
The Academy Programme gives clubs a structured recognition system for their academy players. Families have the option to order a personalised plaque through a dedicated, club-branded page on the GAROE website. All orders are cross-referenced with the academy to verify that players are genuine academy players, maintaining the integrity of the programme and protecting the club’s academy branding.
Each plaque is personalised with the player’s name, squad number, age group and official club branding. The squad number is updated each season to match the player’s current registered number, creating an accurate record of their progression through the academy structure.
A structured recognition system for your academy — low-admin by design, meaningful for the families your programme serves.
01 · Seasonal structure
One plaque per season, per player
The programme runs season by season from U8 through U21. Each season produces a single plaque for that age group — personalised to the individual player and produced with the club’s official branding applied to the kit graphic on each piece.
02 · Collectible series
Fourteen seasons of academy progression
The full academy series runs across fourteen age groups. Families who take part each season accumulate a complete physical record of their child’s time in the academy — from first U8 registration, or the moment they sign if that comes later, through to U21 — each piece documenting the season, age group and squad number at that point.
03 · Direct ordering
Parents order through a club-branded page
GAROE builds and hosts a dedicated ordering page for each club partner. Parents access the page, select their child’s age group and kit variant, confirm the personalisation details, and complete the order directly. All orders are cross-referenced with the academy to verify player eligibility before production begins.
04 · Legacy connection
The academy series connects to the first team
If a player progresses from the academy to the first team, they enter the Legacy Programme — the professional milestone recognition framework. The academy plaques become the foundation of a longer record: from first U8 season through to debut, appearances, and career milestones.
The full progression
U8 through to career milestones
The strip below shows the complete programme arc — the Academy Programme covers U8 through U21, connecting at first-team level to the Legacy Programme milestone framework. Squad numbers, kit variants and club branding are updated at each stage.
Squad numberUpdated each season
Kit variantsHome · Away · Third
Position variantsOutfield · Goalkeeper
BrandingOfficial club badge applied
Academy range14 age groups · U8 – U21
Legacy rangeDebut · 100 · 200 · 300 apps
Academy Programme
U8
#7
U9
#11
U10
#11
U11
#9
U12
#9
U13
#9
U14
#14
U15
#14
U16
#10
U18
#10
U21
#10
Debut
#37
100 apps
Copper
200 apps
Silver
300 apps
Gold
Academy Programme — U8 through U21 · connecting into the Legacy Programme at first-team level
Kit variants
Home, Away and Third — outfield and goalkeeper
Each plaque is produced with the kit variant selected at the time of ordering. The squad number printed on the kit graphic matches the player’s registered number for that season. Goalkeeper variants are available across all three kits.
Each plaque is produced using the relevant club kit and branding for that season. The club’s official badge is applied to the kit graphic at production. All badge usage is covered under the licensing arrangement between GAROE and the partner club.
Home
Outfield Squad no. updated annually
Away
Outfield Squad no. updated annually
Third
Outfield Squad no. updated annually
Home
Goalkeeper Squad no. updated annually
Away
Goalkeeper Squad no. updated annually
Third
Goalkeeper Squad no. updated annually
For clubs
What the programme gives your academy
The points below describe what the programme contributes to a club’s academy operation in practice.
01 · Recognition
A structured recognition system for every age group
The programme gives your academy a formal recognition layer across every age group from U8 to U21. Each player who registers has access to a personalised seasonal plaque. The structure is consistent year-on-year, requiring no new decisions or procurement each season.
02 · Family engagement
Increased engagement across the academy family base
Families who engage with the programme become more invested in their child’s academy journey over time. Plaque ordering creates a structured touchpoint that sits alongside academy presentation events and award ceremonies — reinforcing the significance of the season just completed.
03 · Admin overhead
Minimal internal workload
Parents access the club-branded page directly, select and configure their order, and complete payment without requiring club involvement in fulfilment. GAROE manages production and delivery. All orders are cross-referenced with the academy to verify player eligibility, maintaining programme integrity without placing an operational burden on the club.
04 · Academy identity
Enhanced academy identity through official branding
Every plaque carries official club branding — the badge, the kit colours, the squad number. The programme creates a material connection between the club’s identity and the families in the academy community, reinforcing the value of the academy affiliation at each season’s end.
05 · PR and events
Presentation events and PR support
The programme supports academy presentation events and award ceremonies, and complimentary plaques are provided for end of season awards. The seasonal plaque serves as a tangible component of any formal recognition event, and the programme’s launch and seasonal milestones present natural PR opportunities for the club’s academy communications.
06 · Legacy pathway
A direct pathway into the Legacy Programme
When an academy player progresses to the first team and enters the Legacy Programme, the academy plaques become the first chapter of a longer record. The programme creates continuity between the academy and the first-team recognition structures — without any additional work at the transition point.
Low-admin by design
Parents order and pay directly through a dedicated club-branded page on the GAROE website. GAROE manages production, fulfilment and delivery. All orders are cross-referenced with the academy to verify player eligibility — maintaining the integrity of the programme without placing an administrative burden on the club.
The product
A premium metal plaque, produced to order
SubstrateComposite aluminium construction
Print processRaised UV print — durable 3D surface finish
SizesA4 and A5 — both formats available at ordering
PersonalisationPlayer name · squad number · age group · season
Club brandingOfficial badge and kit colours applied to each plaque
Kit graphicOutfield or goalkeeper · Home, Away or Third
PackagingPremium presentation box — supplied ready to present or display
DeliveryDirect to the address provided at ordering
Each plaque is produced individually to order — not from generic stock. The personalisation applied at production reflects the exact details the family provides: the player’s registered name, their squad number for that season, and the kit variant selected. No two plaques from the same season are identical.
Lifestyle photography placeholder
Plaques displayed in a child’s bedroom or family home · Assets incoming
The series concept
What your programme gives families: a complete record
Each season’s plaque is part of a series. Families who take part from U8 build a physical record of their child’s entire academy career — each plaque documenting the season, age group, squad number and kit at that point in their progression.
The series concept is the long-term value the programme provides. A single plaque is a recognition of one season. The full series, accumulated over fourteen seasons from U8 through U21, is a permanent record of a player’s time in professional academy football.
Legacy Programme connection
If a player progresses from the academy to the first team, the academy series becomes the foundation of a longer record. They enter the Legacy Programme — and the seasonal plaques are joined by milestone plaques for their debut, 100, 200 and 300 professional appearances.
Each partner club has a dedicated, club-branded ordering page on the GAROE website. The directory below links directly to those pages. Coming Soon entries represent clubs in the onboarding pipeline — access will open ahead of the relevant season.
Questions here are addressed to clubs and academy managers. If your question is not covered, the enquiry form is the quickest route to a direct response.
GAROE builds the club’s ordering page as part of the onboarding process, using the club’s official branding assets and the kit specifications provided. The page sits within the GAROE website, hosted and maintained by GAROE. Once live, parents access it directly and complete their order without requiring involvement from the club’s academy staff in the ordering or fulfilment process. All orders are cross-referenced with the club to verify that players are genuine academy players, helping to maintain the integrity of the programme and protect the club’s academy branding.
Use of the club’s badge and branding is covered under the agreement between the club and GAROE. The badge is applied to each plaque at production using the supplied artwork. GAROE does not use club branding in any context outside the agreed programme scope. The club retains full ownership of its brand identity — the licence covers production of the programme plaques only.
Parents enter their child’s current squad number as part of the ordering process each season. GAROE does not hold or manage a central squad list — the number is confirmed at the point of ordering, by the family. This keeps the club clear of any data management responsibility and ensures the number printed on the plaque reflects the player’s registered number for that specific season.
The programme covers U8 through U21 — fourteen age groups in total. Not all clubs run academy teams across every age group, and the programme is set up to reflect the specific age groups active within the partner club’s structure. The page can be configured to show only the age groups the club operates, keeping the ordering experience accurate for families.
The two programmes are part of the same recognition framework. When an academy player progresses to the first team — whether at the same club or another — they become eligible for the Legacy Programme, which covers debut recognition and subsequent appearance milestones at 100, 200 and 300 professional appearances. The academy series they have accumulated becomes the opening chapter of a longer record. There is no technical link required between the two programmes; the connection is narrative and physical.
All orders are cross-referenced with the club to verify academy player eligibility before production begins. Beyond this verification step, GAROE can provide clubs with aggregated, anonymised participation data — the number of orders placed per age group per season, for example — to inform academy planning and communications. Individual order data remains with GAROE, and the club does not receive personal details relating to individual family orders as part of the standard programme.
Clubs interested in joining the programme should contact GAROE using the enquiry form on the contact page. The onboarding process covers the programme agreement, branding requirements, the club page build and the timeline for making the page available to families. The process is designed to require minimal input from the club’s staff beyond the initial setup conversation and provision of the necessary branding assets.
Get in touch
Bring the Academy Programme to your club
The Academy Programme is available to professional and semi-professional clubs now. Contact GAROE to discuss the programme for your academy setup.
