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Shrewsbury School

The Darwin Way

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Wolves International Football Camp

Course Introduction

The Darwin Way: Wolves International Football Camp, designed for 9-14 year olds, allows all students to immerse themselves in the life of a professional footballer. Train under the guidance of elite Wolves coaches, take full advantage of world-class facilities at Shrewsbury School, and evolve both your technical skills and tactical understanding.

Founded in 1877, Wolverhampton Wanderers were founder members of the Football League – the world’s first domestic football league. Today, Wolves are a proud Premier League club with 17 major trophies, including 11 league titles, four FA Cups, and two League Cups.

Shrewsbury’s links to football began in the 1800’s when the school helped shape the modern game, with Old Salopians playing a key role in creating the 1856 Cambridge Rules – the foundation of today’s Laws of Football. The 1856 rules are preserved in the School’s Library as a testament to its enduring influence on the sport.

Wolves’ iconic black and gold colours reflect the city of Wolverhampton’s motto, “Out of Darkness Cometh Light”: black represents resilience, and gold represents triumph – a spirit central to everything we do and what you’ll experience on the course.

In 2016, Wolves entered an exciting new chapter under Fosun, a global investment group formed in 1992 in Shanghai, China. With global investments exceeding USD 11 billion, Fosun has strengthened Wolves’ facilities, coaching, and player pathways, ensuring the club continues to compete at the highest level.

Step onto the pitch where football’s past meets its future. At Darwin’s Way, you’ll train like a Premier League professional, sharpen your skills, and embrace the resilience and triumph that define Wolves. This is more than a summer course – it’s your chance to evolve as a footballer.

Register your interest

The Course

Train like a professional footballer on our Residential Football Course, designed for players aged 9-14 with mixed abilities and playing experience.

This high-performance programme offers the perfect environment to develop technical skills, tactical understanding, physical conditioning, and mental resilience.

In recent years, Shrewsbury School has built a formidable reputation on the national football stage, proving it is the perfect home for this elite programme. 2024 was a landmark year, with the Boys’ 1st XI crowned English Schools’ FA U18 National Schools Trophy champions – the schools’ equivalent of the FA Cup – and lifting the ISFA Sixes National title in the same season. This success caps an extraordinary run of four national finals in just three years. In 2025, a Lower Sixth pupil progressed from school football to a professional contract with Shrewsbury Town FC, making his English Football League 1 debut the same year through a tailored player pathway. Ranked by School Sports Magazine in the top 200 sporting schools and the top 1% in the UK in 2023, Shrewsbury offers an environment where talent is nurtured, ambition is fuelled, and young footballers thrive.

Based at the world-class facilities at Shrewsbury School, participants train on grass and 3G pitches, access modern performance amenities, and stay in premium on-site accommodation, creating the ideal setting to focus fully on football development. Every session is carefully structured to challenge players beyond their current limits, helping them perform at their best in all areas of the game.

Delivered by elite Wolves coaches, the course prioritises individual development. Players will develop ball mastery, passing, dribbling, shooting, and defending, while learning to make smarter, faster decisions under pressure. Match-related scenarios cover attacking and defending principles, including movement, positioning, pressing, counter-attacks, and transitions. Players then put these skills into practice during matches and tournaments, testing themselves, working as a team, and enjoying the excitement of real gameplay.

By the end of the Darwin’s Way course, participants leave with enhanced skills, sharper game intelligence, and the mindset of a professional footballer, ready to take their performance to the next level. Open to boys and girls from around the world, the course is perfect for those committed to becoming complete footballers.

Register your interest

Course Overview

Performing Arts Summer School - Week 1 Example Timetable

Monday
7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Improv and Games
Group 2: Intro to dance technique
10.30am - 11.00am Break
11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Intro to singing technique
Group 2: Improv and games
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm - 3.00pm Group 1: Intro to dance technique
Group 2: Intro to singing technique
3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity
7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Building character
Group 2: Dance Chorus number 1
10.30am - 11.00am Break
11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Dance - Chorus number 1
Group 2: Singing - Chorus number 1
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm - 3.00pm Group 1: Singing - Chorus number 1
Group 2: Building character
3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity
7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Text work (Verse)
Group 2: Dance - Chorus number 1
10.30am - 11.00am Break
11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Dance - Chorus number 1
Group 2: Dance - Text work (Verse)
12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
1.30pm - 3.00pm Singing - Chorus number 2
3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity: Guest speaker on AI and Climate Change
7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
9.10am - 9.00pm Excursion 1: Stratford
Trip to Stratford to include:
  • Matinee performance and workshop at Royal Shakespeare Company
  • Visit to Shakespeare’s birthplace
    • 7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Rehearse Chorus number 1
    Group 2: Rehearse monologues
    10.30am - 11.00am Break
    11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Rehearse monologues
    Group 2: Rehearse Chorus number 1
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 3.00pm Mini-showing (work in progress)
    3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
    6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
    7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 9.00pm Excursion 2: London
    Trip to London to include:
  • Visit to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
  • West End Performance
    • 7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 9.00pm Excursion 2: London
    Sightseeing in London

    Performing Arts Summer School - Week 2 Example Timetable

    Monday
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Singing - small groups / solos
    Group 2: Dance masterclass (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
    10.30am - 11.00am Break
    11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Singing - small groups / solos
    Group 2: Dance masterclass
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 3.00pm Group 1: Dance masterclass (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
    Group 2: Singing small groups / solos
    3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
    6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
    7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Dance Chorus number 3
    Group 2: Dance Chorus number 3
    10.30am - 11.00am Break
    11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Rehearse monologues
    Group 2: Singing Chorus number 3
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 3.00pm Group 1: Dance chorus number 3
    Group 2: Rehearse monologues
    3.00pm - 9.00pm Excursion 3: Birmingham
    Trip to Birmingham for evening performance (Rep / Hippodrome / Alexandra)
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 12.30pm Acting through song masterclass (West End Performer)
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 7.00pm Excursion 4: Local
    Trip to Ironbridge
    7.00pm - 9.00pm Supper
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 10.30am Group 1: Singing - all
    Group 2: Dance - all
    10.30am - 11.00am Break
    11.00am - 12.30pm Group 1: Dance - all
    Group 2: Singing - all
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 3.00pm Tech rehearsal - final showcase
    3.00pm - 6.00pm Afternoon activity
    6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
    7.00pm - 9.00pm Free for 1-1 rehearsals
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 10.30am Dress rehearsal 1 - final showcase
    10.30am - 11.00am Break
    11.00am - 12.30pm Dress rehearsal 2 - final showcase
    12.30pm - 1.30pm Lunch
    1.30pm - 6.00pm Final Performance
    6.00pm - 7.00pm Supper
    7.00pm - 9.00pm Evening activity
    7.30am - 8.30am Breakfast
    9.10am - 9.00pm Transfers and travel

    Course example timetables may be subject to change.

    Course Features

    On this course, through a series of high-intensity, practical training sessions, layers will be inspired by the professionalism, dedication and winning mindset of olverhampton Wanderers.

    Guided by elite Wolves coaches, participants will develop their technical ability, tactical awareness and physical conditioning. They will then apply these skills in matches and game-based situations, where they can challenge themselves, enjoy healthy competition, and learn how to perform as part of a team while experiencing life in a professional environment.

    They will also make full use of Shrewsbury School’s world- lass sporting facilities, building resilience, teamwork and leadership skills in a unique residential environment. This immersive experience will prepare players to take the next step in their football journey – whether in academy pathways, competitive teams, or simply playing the game at the highest level they can achieve. 

    Potential Excursions:

    As part of this course, students may have the opportunity to visit key locations across the UK, such as:

    • Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Molineux Stadium
    • Manchester National Football Museum
    • Trafford Shopping Centre
    • Drayton Manor Theme Park

     

    Activities:

    Afternoon and evening activities will allow students to mix socially and enjoy fun sessions. Below is a list of examples of sessions:

    • Bubble football
    • BBQs
    • Movie nights (some outdoors)
    • Swimming
    • Trampolining
    • Water sports
    • Local walks
    • Sports – football, badminton, squash, basketball, cricket
    • Trip to sports events

    All of the above course features are included in the price of the course but may be subject to change.

    Accommodation

    Shrewsbury School has a beautiful green-hearted campus site on the banks of the River Severn within one of the most historic county towns in England. 

    Our Houses make for the perfect place to come back to after a day of learning. Each boarding house has a common room providing ample space for pupils to relax and unwind, study areas for them to continue their educational journey as well as social areas with televisions, games, table tennis and other activities that will allow students to bond outside of the classroom. 

    Boys and girls will be separated in accommodation and allocated age-appropriate rooms for their stay, with experienced pastoral care on site. 

    Catering

    Meals at Shrewsbury are enjoyed in our purpose-built catering hall, Kingsland Hall (‘KH’), where students will choose from a wide variety of freshly prepared dishes and then eat with their friends and tutors from the courses. 

    Food is provided by our contract catering company Sodexo, a catering company that is committed to the provision of delicious meals that bring both ingredients and cultures to life. Students with special dietary needs such as dairy/ lactose intolerance, vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free diets and halal food can also be catered for.