Football schools in London that
change the way your child plays football
We love Brazilian football. Everything from the skills, to the tricks and passionate goal celebrations. And we love coaching the game to children even more.
That’s why we created Samba Soccer Schools in 2009; a Brazilian football academy in London to help your child learn how to play the beautiful game.
With our football schools, your child will develop their confidence and can enjoy playing creatively, without the fear of making mistakes.
Our Story
Have you ever seen those coaches who scream and shout constantly at their players? Or the one’s that yell phrases from the sideline like ‘Box em’ in’ or ‘Go long’ without any meaning? There’s nothing worse than your child showing up for training withexcitement, only to go home feeling low on self-esteem. That’s exactly what happened to our Founder, Nilio Bagga when he was a child.
The moment he tried anything skillful, he was immediately shot down by his coaches and told to play the more routined ‘safe’ way. But it was boring! It lacked any creativity or entertainment.
Instead Nilio found more joy on the playground with his friends. There was no pressure from anyone. And he felt he could really express himself without the fear of making mistakes. This is what helped him build his confidence and sharpen his skills. Teachers would struggle to get Nilio and his friends off the pitch because there was just so much passion to play.
It was both experiences that eventually kick-started Nilio’s coaching journey. He realised the importance of great coaches who taught children how to play with freedom, yet maintained structure in their classes. He dug deeper and took off to Brazil to discover the history of Brazilian football and the art of Samba Soccer. Fast forward 10 hardworking years, and the result is a kids football school that emphasises creativity, freedom and imagination at its core to emulate Nilio’s stress-free football experience on the playground.
In addition, our Brazilian football academy provides children with their own ball to maximise the number of touches per class so they can progress quicker. Sessions are well organised and coaches are professionally recruited and trained to teach your child entertaining, skilful football. And to bring the atmosphere to life, your child can enjoy each class to the rich rhythms of samba music in the backdrop.
Why Brazil?
Good question. As a kid, our Founder, Nilio Bagga was obsessed with watching Ronaldinho play.
Ronaldinho was a Brazilian footballer nick-named ‘the magician’. And there’s good reason for it. He would play to entertain. He could dance his way around defenders, control the ball with almost any part of his body and do the most unimaginable football tricks that, well… only a magician could do! But above all, Ronaldinho played with a smile. And you couldn’t help but smile and be inspired watching him.
So why did Nilio want to emulate the Brazilian style in Samba Soccer Schools?
Because it instils joy and encourages children to think and play more creatively. And from all our years of experience, the result is sharper skills and newfound confidence.
What is Brazilian Football? Our Style of Play
‘Man you can’t play football if you don’t have that swing’. It was Robinho, an iconic Brazilian footballer who said this. Brazilian football is rooted in a style of play known as ‘Ginga’.
Ginga is about rhythm. It’s swinging your body from one side to the other to deceive. Ginga is creativity and it’s all about having fun with the ball. Our Brazilian football schools in London teach this attractive and soulful style of football.
Whether your child is just starting out, or they have played for top clubs, our coaches provide children with a toolbox of core skills and 1v1 tricks that they can use to create space and dance around defenders.
With over 1000 ways to move the ball on our syllabus, your child will feel confident to control the ball, play in tight spaces and make quick creative decisions with and without the ball. The result? Attacking, entertaining and unpredictable football that you can’t help but admire and enjoy!
What makes us different?
Wondering what makes our London-based soccer academy stand out from the rest? At Samba Soccer Schools, we take pride in what sets us apart from other football coaching services.
Samba Music
Each class is played to the backdrop of samba music creating a thrilling and carnival-like experience so your child can play with rhythm and feel happy doing what they love.
Unique Skills Ball
We use a smaller weighted skills ball which keeps the ball on the ground giving your child plenty of touches during the session to refine core movements and sharpen those skills.
Skills Tutorial-App
With our Skills Tutorial app, your child can keep practising the skills we cover in our class from the very comfort of your home, giving them that extra edge over others.
Brazilian Football
The secret to playing with confidence lies in mastering the ball. We teach football the Brazilian way with a focus on ball mastery to boost your child’s confidence and creativity.
Our Values
Get to know us more by understanding our 4 key values
Safety
We put safety first. Football classes only take place in London’s top indoor and outdoor secure venues. Our DBS qualified coaches run safety checks before each class and there are always first-aid trained coaches on site.
Fun
Fun is carefully woven into our football school so your child can have a great time. Imagine your child stepping onto the football pitch hearing that party-like Samba music. They greet their friends, learn never-before-seen skills and enjoy lots of competitive small-sided games. Now that’s fun!
Education
With Samba Soccer Schools, we make it our absolute mission to instil knowledge into students. Skills are broken into ability groups so your child always has something to strive for. We also teach key social skills such as teamwork, respect and listening which can be transferred off the pitch.
Innovation
We like to mix things up and do things differently. Aside from the music and the weighted skills ball, we constantly revise our sessions so your child can always be developing. As a member, you will also be given access to our skills tutorial app so your child can continue learning from home.
4 reasons why you should choose Samba Soccer Schools
Wondering what makes our London-based soccer academy stand out from the rest? At Samba Soccer Schools, we take pride in what sets us apart from other coaching services.
1 | Experienced Football Coaches
We understand that our football classes are only as good as the coaches who run them.
With this in mind, we have put in place a strict Coach Recruitment process 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.
2 | Premium Facilities
We run our classes in some of London’s top indoor and outdoor facilities.
The venues are safe and comfortable for you to sit back and watch your child enjoy their lesson.
You also won’t have to worry about missing a class during the winter as we have plenty of indoor options to choose from.
3 | Coaching Syllabus
Your child’s development rests on a well thought out coaching curriculum.
Our technical coaching team have over 10 years of experience in developing exercises and session plans to achieve a balance of fun and education in every lesson.
There is also a clear focus to each lesson geared towards helping your child play the Brazilian way.
4 | Value For Money
Samba Soccer Schools have put in a tremendous amount of work to ensure our football classes provide children with the best possible coaching experience.
We are able to offer a high level of coaching in London’s best facilities while still keeping our prices affordable for you.
You also don’t need to worry about big one-off payments as our memberships are spread out monthly making it more cost-efficient and convenient for you.
Try out a class, for free…
We could give you hundreds of extra reasons why you should choose our weekly football classes for your child over the rest. But truth be told, we’d rather show you. So why not book a free trial lesson for your child and experience the fun for yourself.
Enter your postcode below to find your nearest class!