South Gloucestershire & Stroud College (SGS) is proud to celebrate the journey of Antoine Semenyo, who today completed his high-profile transfer to Manchester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract after a standout spell with AFC Bournemouth.
Antoine's move follows a dazzling first half of the Premier League season and a dramatic, stoppage-time winner in his farewell appearance for Bournemouth against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
Antoine’s pathway from SGS College to Manchester City
Antoine’s story is one of resilience and second chances — a pathway SGS Sports Academies exist to provide. As a teenager he faced multiple academy set backs, before an open trial at Bisham Abbey drew the attention of then-SGS Head of Football David Hockaday, who invited him into full-time education and training at SGS. During the SGS pre-season, Semenyo’s performances in showcase fixtures caught the eye of Bristol City, who invited him to trial signing for their academy in 2017 while continuing his studies at SGS College through the partnership with Bristol City FC.
Every July, the SGS Sport Male Football programme begins pre-season and schedules a series of showcase matches against professional clubs; in recent years, opposition has included Fulham, Newport County, Swindon Town, Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle and Swansea City. The year that Antoine was signed by Bristol City FC he shone in games against Bristol City, Oxford and teams from France. These fixtures are designed to place SGS learners in front of professional scouts and decision-makers — the same window in which Bristol City moved for Antoine.
While at Bristol City, Semenyo combined his studies with his football apprenticeship, taking an early loan to Bath City — a long-standing user of the SGS WISE Campus performance facilities — before further development on loan at Newport County and Sunderland. In January 2023, he earned a Premier League move to AFC Bournemouth from Bristol City, where he flourished over three seasons and became one of the division’s most exciting wide forwards.
Semenyo’s rise culminated this week in his transfer to Manchester City for a reported £62.5m initial fee, potentially rising with add-ons — a club-record outgoing for Bournemouth. He becomes City’s first signing of the January window and adds pace, power and versatility to Pep Guardiola’s attack.
Connor Sidley-Adams, Curriculum Director of Personal & Social Development at SGS College, said:
"Antoine’s journey embodies what SGS Sport is about where we aim to provide opportunities for young people to excel in their chosen path either into professional sport or their chosen career. The Academy has a longstanding history across it's programmes of developing international athletes, Olympian and Paralympians, Premiership Rugby Players, NFL Athletes, DP World Tour Golfers, International Cyclists and now Premier League Footballers. We are all immensely proud of the exploits of Antoine and how he has shown the mindset to push on in his career."
Credit to the pathway: recent SGS alumni progressing into the professional game
Under the SGS Sport programme, numerous learners have progressed into professional football after non-traditional or second-chance routes:
- Kacper Łopata — progressed from SGS to Brighton & Hove Albion, later Barnsley, and was most recently on loan at Bristol Rovers for the 2025/26 season.
- Miguel Freckleton — left SGS College to sign for Sheffield United, took development loans in the EFL and National League, and in Summer 2025 signed for St Mirren, starting in their Scottish League Cup final win over Celtic in December 2025.
- Jack Nunn — after a successful England Colleges campaign, signed for Cagliari (Primavera/U19–U23 pathway) in Italy following trials.
- Jordan Iwhiwhu — followed a similar pathway, signing a professional deal with Luton Town, where he is currently part of their development programme.
- Jai Semenyo — Antoine's brother who upon leaving SGS College signed for Cardiff City before a loan to Eastleigh in the National League.
These stories underline SGS College’s long-standing commitment to supporting athletes who may have been missed by traditional academy pathways, giving them a second chance to reach the professional game through education-led, high-performance environments.
Young athletes who are looking to follow in the footsteps of Antoine and the above athletes should head to The SGS Football Academy to find out more about their pathway.