Football schools in London teaching flair, fun, and unforgettable skills.

We believe Brazilians play football the way it’s supposed to be, with exciting skills, mesmerising speed, passionate goal celebrations, and huge smiles – which is why we base all our footballing coaching around it. 

In 2009, we started Samba Soccer Schools as an alternative to the often boring and monotonous way of teaching children how to play football. It’s called the beautiful game for a reason, and our Brazilian football schools across London have helped thousands of children enjoy and play the game as it should be. 

We encourage creativity, flair, good technique and ball control. We want children to have the confidence to attempt the daring in a safe and supported environment. Everybody makes mistakes while learning, but perseverance is key to successful development. 

We’ve reimagined football classes in Britain, delivering fun, action-packed lessons set to a thumping samba beat that your child will absolutely love.

Our Story

We’ve all seen those children’s football coaches who pace the sideline on a Saturday or Sunday morning, constantly shouting at their players. Phrases like ‘box them in’, ‘go long’, and ‘track back’ all make sense when delivered to older players, but to children, they’re often meaningless jargon that simply detracts from the pure joy of playing football. Many kids grow up with an almost innate love of the game, but all too often, that is stamped out by dreary teaching methods and ranting coaches who shatter self-confidence. 

his is precisely how our founder, Nilio Bagga, felt as a child. Whenever he tried anything skilful – something you might see a Brazilian doing – his coaches immediately shot him down and ordered him to play safer, standard football. To Nilio, that meant more boring football, and he could feel his love for the game slowly dwindle. Isn’t the beautiful game supposed to be based on creativity, excitement, and showstopping skills?

Away from the more rigid coaching methods, Nilio found his football feet on the streets or in the playground, where he and his friends could express themselves freely without the constant fear of making mistakes and dressing down from a coach that would follow. Suddenly he could sharpen his skills and develop confidence and a passion for the game like never before. He didn’t know it then, but Nilio had stumbled into the world of Ginga football, a style of play that has seen Brazilians electrifying football for decades.

This experience profoundly impacted Nilio as he became an adult and moved into football coaching. Isn’t it possible to teach children how to play thrilling football based on freedom and expression while still retaining structure and development? As his horizons began to broaden, his attention fell on Brazil, and after visiting the country in 2010, he knew he had found his way of playing football and one he was determined to bring back to Britain. 

Over ten years later, here we are. Samba Soccer Schools has grown rapidly and today teaches thousands of children how to play football with beauty, freedom and self-expression – free from the harsh critical gaze that frequently dogs football coaching in Britain.

During our classes, each child uses their own ball, maximising the number of touches and dramatically improving their close control ability. Sessions are taken by experienced coaches who share Nilio’s vision for attractive, skillful football and who encourage the daring rather than telling them to play it safe. And it’s all done to the background of a thumping samba beat that makes the whole experience more like a fun kickabout at carnival time than a dull coaching session based on outdated tactics.   

This is football as it’s supposed to be.  

Why Brazil?

There’s a reason everybody wants to watch Brazil play. The English may have plenty of heart, the Germans might be tactically solid, and the Argentinians know how to get the job done, but nobody plays like the Brazilians. 

As a child, Nilio was obsessed with Ronaldinho, a Brazilian player nicknamed ‘the magician’ who could do things with a football that left you scratching your head in amazement. Ronaldinho was not only an astonishingly successful footballer, he played with a dazzling style that anybody who ever saw him will never forget – and an enormous smile on his face while doing it all.

Nilio chose to base his football coaching and business principles around the Brazilian way of playing because it instils joy and encourages children to think and play more creatively. Children don’t want to be constrained by excess tactics and safe football. They want to play like Ronaldinho.

Style of play

“Football is happiness. It’s a dance. It’s a true party,” – Pelé.

Iconic Brazilian footballer, Pelé, knew all about Ginga football and the rhythm it has its roots in. Ginga translates literally as ‘to sway’, and anybody who ever saw Ronaldinho swaying majestically into the penalty area will know exactly what we mean.

Ginga is all about creativity and having fun with the ball at your feet. At Samba Soccer Schools, those two principles are at the core of everything we do. We’re not doing something wrong if children don’t love playing football.  

Whether your child is completely new to football or has been playing for years and just wants to experience a change of style, our coaches provide a Brazilian toolbox of core skills and 1v1 tricks that they can use to create space and dance around defenders.

Our syllabus contains more than 1000 ways to move a football, from the basic ones taught on Day 1 to the complicated Ronaldinho-eqse tricks that take years to fully perfect. We’ll equip your child with everything needed to feel confident on the ball in tight spaces and help them make split-second decisions under pressure with and without the ball. 

When you put it all together, your child emerges playing entertaining, unpredictable, attack-minded football that will wow everybody watching – but above all, they’ll have a great time while doing it. 

        

            
What makes us different?

            
Wondering what makes us stand out compared to the hundreds of other football schools out  there? 

        

        

            
Our Values

            
Samba Soccer Schools is based on four core values.

        

        

            

                

                    

                        

                            

                                
                            

                            

                                
Safety

                                
Keeping everybody safe is our top priority. Our classes are held in   London’s top secure indoor and outdoor venues,  while our coaches all have an up-to-date DBS certificate and run careful safety checks before every session. Coaches undergo rigorous in-house training,  including first aid, and are prepared for any emergency that might occur.

                            

                        

                    

                

                

                    

                        

                            

                                
                            

                            

                                
Fun

                                
Children need to have fun while playing football. Take that away, and  any desire to play gradually fades.  Fun and excitement are carefully woven into each training session to ensure that  children are learning the essential aspects of football but do so with a smile on  their faces and longing just to keep playing. With a pumping samba beat, their  friends around them,  and Brazilian-style tricks and flicks to learn, they won’t want to leave the  football pitch.

                            

                        

                    

                

            

            

                

                    

                        

                            

                                
                            

                            

                                
Innovation

                                
You’d be amazed by how much having samba music playing can transform   a child’s game.  Instead of repetitive football drills, a training session becomes a dance studio  where footballers can express themselves and have fun. We also use smaller footballs to encourage better close control at an early age – just as they do on the streets of Rio. 

                            

                        

                    

                

                

                    

                        

                            

                                
                            

                            

                                
Education

                                
Having fun needs to be partnered with education. We want to deepen  the footballing knowledge of every child who  comes to our school while instilling core social skills, such as communication,  respect, teamwork, and fair play – vital skills that go far beyond the football pitch. Hard work leads to positive development, and education is the cornerstone.

                            

                        

                    

                

            

        

    









        

            

            
            

                                    

                    
Why choose us?

                    
Still need some convincing? Here are four reasons to choose Samba Soccer Schools:
          
                    

                                                    

                        

                            

                                                                        
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                    

                        


                        

                            

                                                                    
                                    

                                        

                                            
                                            

                                                  
We can talk about our Brazilian methodology all day, but unless we have the best-quality coaches around, it just never works. 
  
  With this in mind, we have established a strict Coach Recruitment process to cherry-pick only the outstanding candidates and have  developed our own Coach Education programme, which requires all coaches to sit an exam.

 This helps our coaches to perform at the highest level and ensures a consistent and safe football experience for your child.  Click below to learn more about our team.
                                                
                                            

                                        

                                    

                                                                    
                                    

                                        

                                            
                                            

                                                 
We want everybody to feel safe and secure, so we only use premium indoor and outdoor facilities acro the London area that allow you to sit back and watch your child having the time of their life in peace. 

 
 During the cold winter months, all our classes are held indoors, meaning your child won’t miss a class,  whatever the weather throws at us.
                                                
                                            

                                        

                                    

                                                                    
                                    

                                        

                                            
                                            

                                                
Successful coaching and football development aren’t built on random activities and exercises. All of our classes follow a dedicated  curriculum that has been moulded over ten years to find the perfect balance between fun and education through our unique Brazilian methodology. 


Each class comes with clear and achievable goals, usually a core skill or 1v1 trick that is carefully taught and practised 
until it becomes second nature. We finish every session with small games, allowing each child to showcase what they’ve learnt that day.
                                                
                                            

                                        

                                    

                                                                    
                                    

                                        

                                            
                                            

                                                 
We understand that extras like children’s football training can sometimes seem like expenses too far, so we always strive to keep our prices affordable while maintaining our exceptionally high standards. 

 
 Samba Soccer Schools always strives to provide children with the best possible coaching and value for money for the parents. We don’t ask for a hefty upfront fee as many schools do. Instead, our memberships are spread over smaller monthly segments, making the whole process more cost-efficient and convenient.
                                                
                                            

                                        

                                    

                                                                                            

                        

                    


                            


        

        
        




    

        

            

                

                    

                        

                            
Try Out a Class For  Free
                            
We could go on and on about why you should bring your child to a session with Samba Soccer Schools, but why not try it out for free  instead? Book a no-strings-attached free trial with us today, and we’ll show you all the fuss.