Kwara Football Academy: Fees, Cadres and How to Join

Kwara Football Academy (KFA) is a Nigerian residential football school in Ilorin that combines secondary-school academics with full-time professional football training. It was founded in 2005 by then–Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki and opened by CAF President Issa Hayatou. KFA admits boys aged 10–21, runs three cadres (Secondary, Professional Non-Scholarship, Professional Scholarship), and recruits annually. Current fees range from about ₦100,000 to ₦300,000 per term depending on cadre and boarding status. Registration for the 2026/27 intake is handled directly by the academy office.

How to apply to Kwara Football Academy

1. Call the admin office on +234 813 687 4877 or +234 816 992 1528 to request the current registration form, because fees and screening dates change each cycle.
2. Pay the registration form fee (₦12,500 at the last public update) into the bank account the office quotes to you.
3. Fill the form and submit it with your documents (see checklist below).
4. Attend the screening date the academy assigns you — both the football trial and the academic placement test.
5. If selected, pay the term fees for your cadre into the official Kwara Football Academy bank account given by the bursar at admission.

The academy publishes updates on its official website (thekfailorin.com) and on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. Confirm any fee figure with the office before you transfer money — Naira-denominated tuition has been revised more than once since 2023.

Where is KFA located?

The campus sits on roughly 35 hectares inside the Kwara State Stadium Complex on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Ilorin, Kwara State. It can house up to 200 boarders. The academy uses the stadium’s pitches plus its own training fields and gym.

The three cadres

KFA splits intake into three programmes:

• Secondary School Cadre. Standard secondary education on a school-day calendar, with daily football training. Students sit WAEC, NECO, IGCSE, TOEFL and IB exams.
• Professional Non-Scholarship Cadre. Full-time football development for fee-paying players who have completed or skipped secondary school.
• Professional Scholarship Cadre. Same training as above, but tuition is fully waived for players the academy selects on football merit.

Inside each cadre, players sit in age groups:

• Junior — ages 13–14.
• Intermediate — ages 15–16.
• Elite — ages 17–19.

School fees

Fee tables circulating online are out of date. The academy’s office gives the current figures at the point of admission. As of the last public statement, fees fall in this range:

Status	Term fee range
Boarding student (new)	~₦200,000 – ₦300,000
Boarding student (returning)	~₦150,000 – ₦250,000
Day student (new)	~₦100,000 – ₦170,000
Day student (returning)	~₦70,000 – ₦120,000
Boarding player (new)	~₦120,000 – ₦200,000
Day player (new)	~₦40,000 – ₦80,000
Full scholarship	₦0
Form fee (one-off)	₦12,500

Confirm the exact figure for your cadre with the bursar before paying. Sterling Bank account details published by other websites are old; ask the academy for current bank details in writing.

RELATED: How to become a professional footballer in Nigeria

Required items to bring on resumption

1. Pair of trainers (canvas) and a pair of soccer boots
2. Pair of slippers, brown sandals, and black shoes
3. Two pairs of white socks
4. One hoe, one cutlass, two bunches of brooms (for compound work)
5. Holy Bible (Christians) or Holy Qur’an with English translation (Muslims)
6. Mathematical set, six biros, two graph booklets
7. Two standard plastic buckets, mop, giant Dettol, giant Izal
8. Laundry basket
9. Medical Certificate of Fitness from a government hospital
10. Birth certificate
11. Mosquito net and a blanket
12. One white bedsheet and one coloured bedsheet
13. Four passport photographs
14. Small rechargeable torch and a small rechargeable lamp
15. Photocopy of last academic result; transfer certificate if already in secondary school
16. Evidence of payment of school fees and levies
17. Stainless plate with cover

What KFA gets you

• Trials with local Nigerian Premier Football League clubs and visiting European scouts. Past trials at Chelsea (England) and Portsmouth (England) involved KFA players.
• A profile circulated to scouts, agents and clubs the academy works with.
• Eligibility for Nigeria’s youth national teams.
• An academic certificate (WAEC/NECO at minimum) so a player has fall-back options if a football career stalls.

KFA’s most-cited alumnus is Ahmed Abdul-Taofik, a U-17 World Cup winner with the Golden Eaglets, who has since played in Latvia (FK Ventspils) and most recently joined Lebanon’s Chabab Ghazieh SC in 2025 (source). The academy was led for years by former Super Eagles coach Clement Westerhof.

Common questions

What age can I join Kwara Football Academy?
Between 10 and 21. The youngest cadre starts at 13–14.

How much does KFA cost?
Roughly ₦100,000 to ₦300,000 per term depending on cadre. A full scholarship is free. Confirm current fees with the office.

Is the academy only for boys?
Yes. KFA’s main intake is male. Female programmes have been announced from time to time — call the office to confirm if you are applying for a girl.

Where do I get the registration form?
From the admin office on +234 813 687 4877 or +234 816 992 1528, or via the registration page at thekfailorin.com/register.

Do KFA players go straight to European clubs?
A handful do, after trials. Most start in Nigerian domestic clubs (NPFL or NNL) and transfer abroad once their record builds.

For a wider view of how Nigerian players move from academy to professional football, see how to become a professional footballer in Nigeria.