UD PRE-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
United Dragons Pre-Season Programme – Term Wrap-Up (April–July 2025)
As we approach the final weekend of our Pre-Season Programme on Saturday 12th July, we can proudly look back on an incredibly successful and rewarding term. From the first sunny session back in April through to the intense, match-focused weeks of June and July, our players have trained, competed, improved, and most importantly—enjoyed every moment of football.
Spanning across three months, the programme brought together players from U6 to U16, offering a vital bridge between the end of the 2024/25 season and the upcoming 2025/26 campaign. The aim was simple: keep our players sharp, engaged, and progressing through regular, high-quality training and plenty of meaningful match play. We’re pleased to say it’s done exactly that—and more.
Across the age groups, we saw a packed schedule of training sessions and matches, with friendlies and competitions taking place nearly every weekend. Our players took on opposition including Queens Park Sharks, Highgate Rangers, Regents Park FC, and more. We also celebrated our Girls U11 and Boys U8 teams putting in standout performances in the Arsenal Summer League, consistently performing at a high level and showcasing brilliant teamwork and confidence.
For our youngest Dragons, the U6s, the term brought something particularly special—their first-ever taste of match experience! These early experiences are crucial for building comfort and excitement around the game, and they embraced the challenge with energy and smiles. It’s been wonderful to see their progress from hesitant touches to confident dribbles over just a few weeks.
At the other end of the age spectrum, our U13s to U16s used the programme to fine-tune their game awareness and physicality, preparing for a more competitive style of play as they progress into higher-level leagues next season. From tactical training sessions to fast-paced friendlies, their commitment was clear, and the improvements were visible week after week.
It wasn’t all about results—but we definitely enjoyed some strong performances and great wins along the way. That said, the tougher games were just as valuable, offering chances for learning and reflection as teams worked on communication, resilience, and adapting under pressure. These challenges are what shape strong players and even stronger teams.
The training sessions themselves were dynamic, energetic, and designed to push every player. Whether it was mastering 1v1s, improving team shape, or just getting more comfortable on the ball, each session had purpose and progression. Credit must go to our brilliant coaching team for creating an environment that was both fun and focused, with a clear eye on preparing our squads for league competition starting this September.
As we wrap up the programme, we want to thank every player, parent, and coach who helped make this term such a success. Your commitment and support are the backbone of United Dragons, and it’s because of you that we continue to grow, thrive, and achieve more each season.
Enjoy the final weekend, enjoy your summer—and we’ll see you all back in action in September for the start of what promises to be another fantastic league season!
Final Few Spaces for 2025/26 League Teams
As we prepare for the new season, we have just a handful of places remaining in our Regents Park Youth League and Market Road League teams for boys and girls aged U7–U16. With most squads now close to full, this is the final opportunity to join our competitive league teams ahead of the 2025/26 season kicking off in September.
If you’re interested in signing up or learning more, please contact Matt as soon as possible to avoid missing out:
E: matt@uniteddragonsfc.com
We can’t wait to welcome a few new Dragons to the squad for what’s shaping up to be another exciting year!
AUTUMN TERM RETURN DATES2025
- Monday 8th Sept > Monday 8th Dec
- Wednesday 10th Sept > Wednesday 10th Dec
- Friday 12th Sept > Friday 12th Dec
- Saturday 13th Sept > Saturday 13th Dec
- Sunday 14th Sept > Sunday 14th Dec
MAY 2024
LONDON
Our Pre-Season Programme delivered another month of beautiful football as glimpses of summer began showing itself across Regents Park.
A number of our teams faced friendly matches against local opposition Highgate Rangers, who brought their teams down in a festival of football.
Both of our U8s played hard-fought games with one of our teams running out 5-1 winners, whilst the other, a defeat against a top opposition that took their chances well.
Resounding victories for our U10s and U11s this month, with both teams scoring 4 and 5 goals, respectively, both keeping clean sheets in the process.
It was a tight and tense game for our U15 Girls this month, who ground out a narrow 1-0 win against Highgate Rangers, a team that provides close encounters with every game. A 1-0 lead is never comfortable but the girls did brilliantly to maintain the lead throughout, defending valiantly until the final whistle.
Our U8s merged for their last game of the month to face a club derby, coming up against United Dragons St Alban’s. Momentum swung back and forth all game but it was UD London that came out on top, with a 5-3 scoreline thanks to a hattrick from Nathan Aboody, who took home the match ball!
Elsewhere we had an U8 and U10s representing the UD badge at the Arsenal Summer League, with our U8s winning both of their games and our U10s winning 2 and losing 1 of their 3 matches this month.
As the sun begins to shine and summer on the horizon, we can think of no better place to be on the weekend than at our UD Pre-Season Programme!
ST ALBANS
Our Pre season is now well underway and has been a brilliant exercise to keep our players ticking over. So far we have been focusing most of our attention around match scenarios and some in game tactical work to give our players the edge over opposing teams come September when the season kicks off again!
Our first game of the pre season programme was a huge success and an impressive display, a slow start perhaps but once our players got to grips with what is a new format for many of them (7aside) they really grew into the game and were deservedly the victorious team coming away with a 5-3 win over Alexandra Palace Youth.
Over the weekend we had our very first 'Clash of the Dragons fixture' which saw us fall narrowly short against our sister club UD London, a brilliant occasion marrying up both UD London and UD St Albans and something we'll definitely be looking forward to doing again! Looking forward we plan to continue working around game based topics but also making sure there is an individual learning outcome for each specific player to take away from our sessions, with the pre season group being slightly smaller than our usual Sunday training group it allows us to really focus on each and every player's development.