Teenage midfielder Luke Brooke-Smith will spend a week training at men’s A-League club Melbourne City during his December school holidays.

Brooke-Smith (15) has developed his skills with the RH3 academy in Cambridge and progressed into senior men’s football this year, playing for Cambridge in the Lotto NRFL Southern Conference.

RH3 founder Ricki Herbert says Brooke-Smith will experience a week of training sessions at Melbourne City, giving him the chance to see first-hand what it takes to become a professional football.

“He’ll be in a top-class environment with outstanding facilities,” Herbert said.

Herbert said Brooke-Smith had been a member of the successful RH3 team that won the U-15 section at Victoria’s Shepparton Cup tournament this year.

In the lead-up to the tournament, his team had played against a Melbourne City academy team, which helped lead to the opportunity for Brooke-Smith to return for a week’s training.

Herbert said the academy was keen to help players extend their experience by visiting professional clubs.

In July 2023, Nat Young (15) spent a week training at Melbourne Victory, who compete in the women’s A-League.

She plays her club football for Hamilton Wanderers and has become a regular first teamer in the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier League.

In December, a 21-player U-19 women’s squad will represent RH3 on a tour to Victoria, playing games against academy sides from the Melbourne Victory, Western United and Melbourne City.

“All these activities are aimed at trying to show young players what they need to strive for, on and off the pitch, if they want to reach their potential as footballers,” Herbert said.