Milan Training School

The Training School is the product of an evolution of the Milan Academy. It will be a hub for innovation at the Club, with the aim of developing a modern and integrated approach to football coaching for youngsters. Quality will set this project apart, with training its main vocation.

AC Milan decided to embark on the path towards creating the Training School from the 2015/2016 season onwards. From the outset, the aim has been to promote the Club’s historical heritage, its knowledge and experience built up over time, and to make that available to the benefit of all stakeholders.

The School focuses on a sporting and managerial training method that prioritises human capital, which is central to a dialogic relationship that identifies the training needs of each individual participant and enables the identification of the most suitable pathway, both for individuals and groups as a whole. The School’s teaching body is made up of six people and also harnesses the expertise of Club management staff, technical staff from the first team and youth teams as well as from higher education institutions. The School therefore has a team of experts from various disciplines at its disposal.

With the support of AC Milan’s Compliance unit, regular training events are organised – both for staff and registered athletes – in respect of applicable law and in compliance with the following legislative decrees:

  • D. Lgs. 81/08: The aim is to provide training and information as regards norms covering the issues of safety, risk management and emergencies.
  • D. Lgs. 231/2001: The AC Milan Group has an Organisation, Management and Control Model; training courses are available in a physical setting or online.

The Training School fosters activity in the following areas, geared towards staff and partners as well as to external companies which request the School’s services:



Training on coaching methods:

  • FOOTBALLING PRINCIPLES
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • ATHLETIC WORK
  • technical and tactical work - individual and collective basis
  • PHASES OF PLAY AND SYSTEMS
  • VIDEO ANALYSIS

For players and staff:

  • TRAINING
  • INJURY PREVENTION AND RECOVERY
  • FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY
  • NUTRITIONAL AND DIET PRINCIPLES
  • PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

Focus on organisation and management of the Club:

  • CHANGE MANAGEMENT
  • TEAM BUILDING
  • HR MANAGEMENT
  • ASD (AMATEUR SPORTS ASSOCIATION) REGULATIONS
  • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
  • LEADERSHIP
  • MANAGEMENT OF SPORTS FACILITIES
  • SPORTS MARKETING

Work on soft skills:

  • STAFF GUIDANCE AND EVALUATION METHODS
  • TEAMWORK
  • CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Activities which took place during the 2015/2016 season:

  • 4 days of training for AC Milan Academy 2015/2016 coaches
  • 2 days of training for AC Milan Junior Camp Day 2015/2016 coaches
  • 1 day of training for AC Milan Junior Camp 2016 technical directors
  • 3 days of training for AC Milan Soccer School coaches, at BPM Milan Cup 2016
  • Technical and leadership training courses – both ‘Entry Level’ and ‘Advanced Level’ – organised at 13 locations in Italy
  • Training course reserved for AC Milan staff on the ‘Kids at the Office’ day in 2016
  • 2 training sessions for AC Milan Soccer School managerial staff
  • 2 training courses on strategy and management for sports clubs
  • ‘Academy Coach’, an invite-only training course organised at the Vismara training ground

The ‘Academy Coach’ training course takes place every year at the Vismara training ground, where the AC Milan youth academy is based. It is reserved for authorised coaches, who have completed either the Entry, Advanced or Top Level courses organised by the Training School. Participants are invited to attend the course, which offers specific preparation for individuals who, in their respective sporting contexts, have set themselves apart having successfully followed and applied the AC Milan teaching methods.

In 2016, the course took place from 7 to 9 June and involved 15 coaches from nine AC Milan Soccer Schools.

The theoretical part of the course was dedicated to the role the Academy Coach has within a sports club, with particular attention given to the social and managerial skills that such individuals need to develop.

The coaches were then able to test themselves out on the pitch. Alongside teaching staff from the Training School, the coaches were asked to organise and conduct training sessions with the Esordienti 2003 (U13 side) from an AC Milan Soccer School in Lombardy.