![]() | ||||
Full name | Leicester City Football Club Under-21s and Academy | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Foxes | |||
Ground | Leicester City F.C. Training Ground, Seagrave | |||
Capacity | 499 | |||
Owner | King Power | |||
Chairman | Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha | |||
Manager | Vacant (Under-21s) Adam Barradell (Under-18s) Matt Goodwin (Under-16s) | |||
League | Premier League 2 and Premier League U18 | |||
Website | Club website | |||
Leicester City Under-21s are the former reserve team of Leicester City. The team mainly consists of under-21 players at the club, although senior players occasionally play in the reserve side, for instance when they are recovering from injury. The Under-21s team play in Premier League 2.
Leicester City F.C. Academy are the youth team of Leicester City directed by Jon Rudkin. Leicester City's academy has held Category 1 status under the Elite Player Performance Plan since July 2013.
Although less famous than the likes of Manchester United or West Ham United's youth systems, the Leicester City Academy has been one of the more productive academies in the East Midlands. England internationals Peter Shilton, Gary Lineker, David Nish, Steve Whitworth, Emile Heskey, Ben Chilwell and Harvey Barnes as well as Don Revie, who played for and managed England [1] all began their careers with the Foxes. Frank McLintock, a Scottish international, former footballer of the year and a double winning captain with Arsenal, who was described by Bob Paisley as the "player of the decade" at the end of the 1970s also came through the Foxes' ranks. [2] Leicester's all-time top appearance makers Graham Cross and Sep Smith were also among notable products of the academy.
On 8 April 2013, Leicester City Under 21s won the newly formed 2012–13 Professional Development League 2 with a game to go, qualifying for the knockout stage. [3] However they exited the national play-off at the semi-final stage, after losing 3–2 to Cardiff. [4]
On 26 May 2013, the Leicester City Development Squad & Academy won the HKFC International Soccer Sevens cup, beating Newcastle United Reserves and Academy 2–0 thanks to goals from Michael Cain and Harry Panayiotou. The latter also went on to win player of the tournament. [5] On 4 July, it was announced that Leicester City's academy had been awarded category one status, the highest level under the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan. [6]
By finishing 6th in the 2013–14 Professional U21 Development League, Leicester City U21s qualified for the inaugural, 2014–15 edition, of the Premier League International Cup, being drawn in Group C with Manchester City, Benfica and Schalke 04. [7] On 24 November 2014, Leicester City U21s became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals, after defeating Schalke 04 and Benfica, both 2–0 at the King Power Stadium. [8]
After having almost been relegated from Premier League 2 Division 1 in 2016–2017, Leicester Under 23s went on to finish third in PL2, while also getting to the semi-finals of the Premier League Cup. [9] In addition, several of the under 23's gained first team experience under manager Claude Puel with Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury playing prominent roles towards the end of the 2017–2018 season. This subsequently lead to Hamza Choudhury gaining his first England Under 21s cap during the Toulan Tournament. [10]
On 13 June 2020 the club announced that long-serving coach Trevor Peake was stepping down from his role as Under-18s coach after 17 years of service. [11] Former under 12–16 Youth Development Phase Coach Adam Barradell took responsibility of the Under-18s during the summer of 2020. [12]
Having been in Premier League 2 Division 1 since its establishment as part of the Elite Player Performance Plan Leicester Under 23s were relegated to Division 2 on 10 May 2021 following a season that saw a number of under 23's players promoted to train with the first team due to a substantial injury list. [13] However, following an expansion of Premier League 2 Division 2 to 14 clubs, Leicester Under 23s were reinstated to the top division for the upcoming 2021–2022 season despite finishing second from bottom during the previous season. [14]
On 24 April 2023, after losing 1–4 against Everton, Leicester Under 23s were relegated to Division 2. [15]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
|
Current Leicester City players in bold. Year of senior debut given in parentheses.
Leicester City Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Leicester, East Midlands, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, following promotion from the 2023–24 EFL Championship as league champions.
King Power Stadium is a football stadium in the city of Leicester, East Midlands, England. It has been the home stadium of Leicester City since 2002, and was the stage as the club lifted the Premier League title in 2016. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of 32,312, and since 2021 has also been the primary home of Leicester City Women.
Southampton F.C. Under-21s and Academy or Saints U21s and Academy is the youth organisation run by Southampton F.C. to encourage and develop young footballers in the south of England. Renowned players including Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and Alan Shearer began their careers at this academy.
Darren Malcolm Eadie is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who is joint-manager of Leiston.
Manchester United Football Club Under-21s is the most senior of Manchester United's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. They play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of the Professional Development League. The team is effectively Manchester United's second-string side, but is limited to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2022–23 season, a change from three outfield players over age 23 introduced in 2016–17. The age limit previously was again 21, from 2012–13. The team's current manager is Travis Binnion, who took over from Mark Dempsey in 2023.
Matthew Lee James is an English professional footballer who last played for Championship club Bristol City. His regular position is in midfield, but he can play in defence when required. James began his career with Manchester United, where his brother Reece also came through the youth ranks, but left the club for a spell on loan at Preston North End before joining Leicester City on a permanent basis in 2012.
Leicester City Women Football Club is an English professional women's football club based in Leicester. Founded in 2004 as an independent club, Leicester City Women were acquired in 2020 by King Power, the parent company of men's affiliate Leicester City FC. They currently compete in the FA Women's Super League, the first level of the English football pyramid.
Swansea City Association Football Club Under-21s is the most senior team of Swansea City's youth teams and are the club's former reserve team. They compete in the Professional Development League. The Under-21s play the majority of their home fixtures at the club's Youth Academy in Landore, with occasional fixtures taking place at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Stoke City Football Club Under-21s is the most senior of Stoke City's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. The Under-23 team is effectively Stoke City's second-string side. They play in Premier League 2. The team also competes in the Premier League Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup.
Melbourne City Football Club Youth is the youth system of Melbourne City Football Club based in Cranbourne East, Melbourne. The youth team plays in the NPL Victoria 2, the second tier of Victorian football in Australia and the hiatus A-League Youth competition. The club also fields under-21s, under-18s, and three other academy teams within the NPL Victoria system.
Hamza Dewan Choudhury is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or right-back for Premier League club Leicester City.
The 2016–17 Leicester City season was the club's 112th season in the English football league system and its 49th (non-consecutive) season in the top tier of English football. Leicester City participated in the Premier League for the third consecutive season as well as the FA Cup and EFL Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. The club also took part in the pre-season International Champions Cup and entered the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League at the group stage. Leicester City entered the 2016–17 season as reigning Premier League champions after winning the Premier League title in the 2015–16 season.
Harvey Lewis Barnes is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Newcastle United.
Luke Ayodele Amos is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian.
Cédric Julia wise Kipré is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team internationally.
The Brighton & Hove Albion Under-21s and Academy are the youth teams of Brighton & Hove Albion. The under-21 players play in the Premier League 2, the highest tier of under-21 team football in England. They also compete in the EFL Trophy, the Premier League Cup, the Premier League International Cup, the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup and the HKFC Soccer Sevens.
The academy teams culminate with the under-18's squad, who compete in the U18 Premier League Division South.
Elliott Jordan Moore is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Oxford United.
The Crystal Palace F.C. Under-21s is the Under-21 Development team of Crystal Palace Football Club. They play in Premier League 2, the top level of reserve football in England and also compete in the Premier League Cup, Premier League International Cup and EFL Trophy.
Lewis Brunt is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Leicester City as a defender. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back or defensive midfielder or right-back.
The 2023–24 Professional U21 Development League is the 12th season of the Professional Development League system.