Best Football Software for 2025: Top Picks for Your Football Academy

Research from Manchester Metropolitan University and the Youth Sport Trust shows that higher levels of sports participation are linked to improved wellbeing, stronger social identity, and a greater sense of belonging.

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As a football academy owner, you’re already playing a key role in supporting young people’s physical and mental health. But to keep doing that sustainably, it’s just as important to look after your own wellbeing, and the financial health of your academy.

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That’s why more and more academies are looking to make the switch to the best football software.

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By replacing manual admin with smart automation, you can simplify everything from bookings and payments to parent communication and class registers. Even better, the top platforms go beyond admin. They support your business growth, help you master marketing, and let you focus on building a strong, loyal community, while giving parents a professional, seamless experience.

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If you’re wondering where to begin, you’re in the right place. Here’s your guide to the best football software, so you can find the one that fits your academy perfectly.

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Your Guide to the Best Football Software (2025 Edition)

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1. ClassForKids

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Designed specifically for kids’ and youth football academies, ClassForKids stands out as one of the best football software options in 2025. With over 10 years of experience and the UK’s only ISO-certified platform, it’s built to support everything from bookings and payments to safeguarding and team management. It takes the admin off your plate so you can focus on your players, your community, and growing your academy.

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Capterra rating: 4.8

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Free trial: Yes

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Best for: Football academies that want to build their brand, scale their business fast, and create a slick, professional experience for customers, whilst keeping their business compliant.

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Support and onboarding:  

• Live chat with an award-winning support team with a 98% customer satisfaction score
• Free bespoke onboarding tailored to your academy’s needs
• Round-the-clock Help Centre with easy-to-follow guides
• Helpful auto-responses for out-of-hours questions

Business growth support:  

• Exclusive networking events, expert-led business and marketing sessions, and competitions with prizes worth up to £10K
• Free class listing platform to drive more bookings
• One-on-one growth support for larger football academies ready to scale
• Free business advice and insights on the ClassForKids [.blue__text]Podcast[.blue__text] and [.orange__text]Academy[.orange__text]

Pricing: With one monthly licence fee, you can enjoy unlimited access to every feature – no added costs for growing your team, adding venues, or expanding through franchising. [.pink__text]Learn more on our Pricing Page[.pink__text].

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Bonus tip: Keep up with the latest events, competitions and community updates by following ClassForKids on [.blue__text]Facebook[.blue__text] and [.green__text]Instagram[.green__text].

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2. Coacha

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Coacha is a growing alternative to ClassForKids, earning the second spot on our list of the best football software of 2025. It’s ideal for football academies that prioritise membership records, safeguarding, and the custom plan even includes an online store to help you sell products.

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Capterra rating: 4.8

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Free trial: Yes

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Best for: Football academies that value reliable admin tools for member management and safeguarding over features and resources aimed at marketing and business growth.

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Support and onboarding:

• Support available via email
• Access to a help centre with video tutorials and written guides

Business growth support: While Coacha doesn’t include events, webinars, or other resources for marketing and business growth, clubs on the £60/month custom plan can unlock an online store to manage and sell merchandise.

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Pricing: Coacha offers 3 plans with varying limits on features and the number of members and coaches you can manage. Make sure to explore each plan to find what matches your size, needs, and growth goals.

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⚠️ Quick heads-up: Coacha’s premium and custom plan prices double after the first 3 months, so it’s worth checking the full cost beyond this period.

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3. LoveAdmin

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LoveAdmin is a well-known alternative to Coacha and regularly features on lists of the best football software. It’s designed to help academies stay on top of admin, with tools for bookings, payments, and event calendar management.

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Capterra rating: 4.3

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Free trial: No

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Best for: LoveAdmin is widely used by football academies that need reliable tools for scheduling classes and events, with calendar features that help everything run on time.

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Support and onboarding:

• New users can access a paid setup service
• Support is available via phone, email, and live webchat
• Help centre and chatbot offer support outside business hours

Business growth support: While LoveAdmin doesn’t provide a free class listing platform, it does offer growth support through partnerships and some marketing resources to help your academy grow.

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Pricing: LoveAdmin is no longer free and now offers 4 pricing tiers. Make sure to explore what’s included in each plan to find one that supports both your current needs and future goals. This will help you determine if it’s the best football software choice for your academy in the long run.

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4. 360Player

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360Player is a popular choice for football academies looking to streamline registrations, payments, and communication. It also offers video analysis tools for match reviews and player development, an added bonus for academies that focus on performance tracking.

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Capterra rating: 4.3

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Free trial: No

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Best for: Academies focused on skills development and performance analysis, especially those that benefit from detailed video review tools.

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Support and onboarding:

• Email support from the 360Player team
• Online help centre with self-serve guides
• Standard onboarding and setup costs £299

Business growth support: While 360Player covers the essentials for team management, it doesn’t offer business or marketing extras like webinars, networking events, or competitions.

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Pricing: There’s no fixed pricing for 360Player. To get started, you’ll need to reach out to their team for a personalised quote.

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5. Spond Club

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Rounding out our list of the best football software is Spond Club, a free football software platform that’s a strong alternative to 360Player, especially for grassroots clubs and smaller academies. It handles the basics like class scheduling and member communication well, though it’s worth noting there’s no live customer support.

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Capterra rating: 4.6

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Free trial: Free to use

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Best for: Smaller or newly established football academies that need basic functionality and are happy to manage without dedicated support.

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Support and onboarding: There’s no training or human support available with Spond Club. Instead, users are guided to a chatbot and self-serve articles for help.

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Business growth support: Spond Club doesn’t offer any business growth tools, marketing resources, events, or competitions for its users.

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Pricing: Spond Club is free to use and operates by charging transaction fees. However, as with many free platforms, there are trade-offs. Some users report delays in receiving payments, sometimes over 10 days, which could lead to cash flow issues for your academy. Be sure to read user reviews and do your research before making a decision.

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A Quick Note on Best Football Software Comparison Pages

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You may have seen football software comparison pages with titles like “a better alternative to ClassForKids” or “the best alternative to Coacha.” While they seem helpful, many aren’t written by verified users and often include outdated or inaccurate information.

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That’s why, instead of comparing features and pricing, we’ve focused on independent user ratings, support options, business growth tools, pricing plans, and whether a free trial is available. For the most accurate, up-to-date info, we strongly recommend visiting the official websites of each platform.

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Now, let’s explore 5 smart questions to help you find the best football software for your academy.