11 Year old son - Football or Rugby for senior school

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My DS is passionate about both sports and is very talented at both but we have applied to the Football schools for 13+ entry as that is his first passion. However he has been outstanding in his rugby season and coaches are keen for him to continue on in rugby. What can I do? Do you know of any non full boarding schools that take on both sports and also are there cases where schools make an exception and consider a very late application for boys that might be going for a sports scholarship?
we are in surrey currently.

any suggestions pls ?

Are you looking for Sept 19 entry into year 9? You could try St John's Leatherhead and Epsom College - I would ring them this week.

Sorry I just saw you son is 11, are you looking for 2020 entry? You need to speak to your Prep & then start calling registrars.

Epsom College do rugby autumn term and football next.

Hampton do rugby and football or are you looking for boarding?

Can't he do one of the sports outside of school?

Personally I'd choose the school based on his academic suitability, not what activities/sports they offer.

What even is s 'football' school?

A football school is where the teaching of football takes prescedent over rugby and most teams are football. This was the case at DHs grammar and it was Rugby at mine. Often larger schools run both. It will depend on tradition and what schools supply the opposition regarding choice of sport. So yes, some schools coach football and not rugby. They may not have enough pitches for both.

This is what my DS2 does - rugby in school, then football which is his passion 4x week out of school

Wellingborough, Felstead, Kings Ely all do rugby one term and football the next

One of ds's friends went to a school of football. It's a local academy (Scotland) and takes kids that pass trials from several LA'S into the school of football, some travel 15 miles or more to school which is unusual in Scotland.

They get football training daily overlaid on their usual timetable and are expected to catch up with missed lessons independently. Some of the kids there also train with a football club too, good from a football point of view if they can take the physical intensity but their academic studies can suffer for it.

King’s Canterbury (full boarding) does rugby one term and football the next. Not the strongest rugby school but has several boys playing at County level and some with professional development teams. Some have moved on to professional clubs. They have a sports excellence programme.

All the really strong rugby schools (Harrow, Wellington, Cranleigh etc) have boys who train and play with the professional development teams. Many are recruited in at 16 and that is where their expertise comes from - not from the school, though the schools obviously support it.

I think most schools run their sports scholarship selections in January so you should get in touch with admissions this week before they all close for Christmas.