Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy

Last updated

Sunderland Academy
Logo Sunderland.svg
Full nameSunderland Association Football Club
Nickname(s)Black Cats
Ground
Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (64%)
Juan Sartori (36%)
Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
ManagerRobin Nicholls (Academy Manager)
Graeme Murty (U21 Lead Coach)
John Hewitson (U18 Lead Coach)
Soccerball current event.svg Current season
Entrance to the Academy of Light The 'Academy of Light', near Cleadon. - geograph.org.uk - 294941.jpg
Entrance to the Academy of Light

Sunderland A.F.C. Academy is the collective name for the youth development squads of Sunderland Association Football Club, primarily the U18 and U21 teams. Sunderland have an 'Elite' Category 1 football academy based on the Elite Player Performance Plan and their teams are members of the Professional Development League. [1]

Contents

Sunderland's academy is based at the Academy of Light in Cleadon, South Tyneside. Sunderland academy teams play at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, in Hetton-le-Hole (U21s) [2] or at the Academy of Light (U18s). At least three U21 games per season are played at Stadium of Light as per the rules of the Professional Development League. [3]

Numerous notable professional players have graduated from Sunderland's youth system over the years. In recent seasons, Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford have both represented England at senior international level. [4] and Lynden Gooch has been capped for the United States. [5]

History

While second-string teams date back to the earliest years of the club, as the senior team gained entry to the Football League, they began to submit a reserve team in competitive competitions under the name Sunderland 'A'. The A team enlisted in both the Durham Challenge Cup and the Northern Football Alliance in 1890. [6]

Leagues

The 'A' team won the inaugural Alliance in 1891 and dominated the early years of the league, winning five out of the first six seasons. [7] They competed in the Alliance until 1902. [8] In 1906 they joined the new North Eastern League along with reserve teams from Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Bradford City. [9] Sunderland finished second to Newcastle United 'A' in their first two seasons, and won the league for the first time in 1925. Sunderland went on to win it a further nine times, second only to Middlesbrough. [9] The North East's league teams withdrew their reserve teams from the North Eastern League in 1958. [10] Sunderland and Middlesbrough both joined the North Regional League. Sunderland won it once and came second three times before the league disbanded in 1969. [11] Sunderland bid to join The Central League in 1970, but were unsuccessful after only receiving four votes. [12]

Sunderland Reserves played a single season in the Wearside Football League in 1979–80, [13] before joining The Central League in 1983.

Sunderland won the Central League once, in the 1998–99 season under the management of Adrian Heath. [14] It was their final season in a competition that was then called the Pontins League Championship. In that season, a crowd of 33,513 at the Stadium of Light watched Sunderland Reserves beat Liverpool 1-0 - an all-time record attendance for the Central League. [15]

Martyn Waghorn playing for Sunderland U18s in 2007 Martyn Waghorn Reserves.jpg
Martyn Waghorn playing for Sunderland U18s in 2007

In 1997, Sunderland joined the FA Premier Youth League, for the U18s teams of Premier League. Sunderland finished second in the North section. A year later, the league was renamed the FA Premier Academy League, was split into U19s and U17s divisions, and expanded to include selected academies from Football League teams. Sunderland fielded teams in all six seasons of this incarnation. In 2004, the league was restructured again, renamed the Premier Academy League, and reset to U18s only. Sunderland's best performance was in 2006–07 - they won group D, beat Manchester City in the Play-Off Semi-Final, but lost on penalties to Leicester City in the final. The Sunderland side included Jordan Henderson, Jack Colback and Martyn Waghorn. [16]

Meanwhile, in 1999, Sunderland left the Central League as Champions and joined the newly formed Premier Reserve League aimed at U21 / Reserve teams of Premier League teams. They went on to win the Northern section in 2002–03, and again in 2008–09. By 2009, the winners of the North and South sections had a play-off to determine a 'National Champion'; Sunderland lost the final to Aston Villa.

Cups

Sunderland 'A' won the Durham Challenge Cup for the first time in 1894. [17] They went on to dominate the cup in the 1900s, winning it six out of seven seasons. They remain the most successful team in the competition, having won it 21 times in total. [17] Sunderland continue to field a team in the competition.

In 1952, the FA Youth Cup was formed, aimed at offering competitive games for youth players unable to break into senior teams. Sunderland had success in the competition in the 1960s, losing to Arsenal in the 1966 final, before beating Birmingham City in the final the following year, [18] and West Bromwich Albion in the 1969 final. The 1967 team included Billy Hughes and the 1969 team included Richie Pitt, both of whom would go on to play for the senior team in the 1973 FA Cup Final. [18]

In 1996, the Central League Cup was introduced to give U21 teams a cup competition in parallel to the FA Youth Cup. Sunderland won the cup twice, in 2009 and 2011, before switching to the Premier League Cup in 2013.

Academy Formation

In 2002, the Academy of Light was completed and inauguration took place with England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. [19] The Academy was a state-of-the-art £15m facility in South Tyneside, which doubled as the training location for the senior team. It opened officially the following year. The centre was designed to comply with UEFA five-star academy status. [20]

In 2003, Kees Zwamborn was hired as Academy director. [21] Zwamborn had been youth director at AFC Ajax, a club acclaimed for its youth development. He lasted just 14 months in the role, as Sunderland underwent a period of turmoil on and off the field. [22] He was replaced with Ged McNamee. [23] who remained in the role until 2016. [24]

Post EPPP Restructuring

Jordan Pickford an academy graduate, represented England at every level, from U16 to senior Jordan Pickford 2018-07-03 1.jpg
Jordan Pickford an academy graduate, represented England at every level, from U16 to senior

The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) was introduced in 2011 and restructured the way youth development operated in England. [25] Academies were graded into tiers, based on a variety of factors, including the quality of the facilities available. Category 1 (Elite) was the highest rating. Academy teams would play against teams in the same academy category. Sunderland were awarded Category 1 status. [1]

Sunderland's Category 1 status allowed them to join the inaugural U21 Premier League and U18 Premier League seasons in 2012–13. Sunderland's best finish in the U21 Premier League was in 2015–16 when they finished runner-up to Manchester United. [26] Their success in that season meant they qualified for the Premier League International Cup. They competed in 2016–17, beating U21 teams from S.L. Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Bilbao and Norwich City on their way to the final. They faced FC Porto at the Stadium of Light, losing 5–0 in front of a crowd of over 18,000. [27] Sunderland's best U18 Premier League finish was in 2015–16 when they finished fifth.

In 2016–17, the U21 Premier League was rebranded Premier League 2, and was widened to U23 level. A second division was added, with Promotion and relegation between the two. Sunderland finished seventh in the first season of the Premier League 2, but finished second bottom (ahead of Manchester United) in the 2017–18 season, and were relegated to Division 2. [28]

Sunderland A.F.C. Under 21s

Premier League 2
League cup(s) Premier League Cup
EFL Trophy
International cup(s) Premier League International Cup
Website Official website
Current: 2023–24 Premier League 2

Previously called Sunderland 'A', Sunderland II, Sunderland Reserves and Sunderland U23s, the Sunderland U21 team is the second team of Sunderland A.F.C. and the most senior team in the club's academy system. U21 matchday squads may include up to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21; this may include players from the senior team in need of game time. [29]

Sunderland U21s play in Division 2 of the Premier League 2 following relegation from Division 1 in the 2017–18 season. They finished fifth in the 2020–21 season, beat Stoke City in the play-off semi-final, but lost on penalties to Crystal Palace in the final after a 0-0 draw. [30] They represent Sunderland in the Durham Challenge Cup, a competition that the club (originally as the senior team, but from 1894-onwards as the reserve team) have won a record 21 times. They shared the trophy with Spennymoor Town in 2020 after the final was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [31] It was the first victory in the trophy for Sunderland as the previously called U23's. They also take part in the Premier League Cup, though have yet to progress beyond the Round-of-16 stage.

Sunderland U21s (effectively the previously called U23s team) also took part in two seasons of the EFL Trophy against senior professional teams from the bottom two divisions of the English Football League. In the 2016–17 competition, Sunderland qualified from their group after victories over Hartlepool United and Notts County but were beaten in the first knockout stage by the academy of Wolves. In the 2017–18 competition, Sunderland failed to qualify from their group. They were unable to take part in the 2018–19 competition as the senior team were competing in the competition for the first time after relegation to EFL League One. Following the promotion of the senior team via the League One Play-off to the EFL Championship the format was changed from U23s to U21s and now allows U21s matchday squads to include up to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21; this may include players from the senior team in need of game time. [29]

Current squad

As of 12 September 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Daniel Cameron
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Adam Richardson
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Kelechi Chibueze
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Tom Lavery
41 DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Zak Johnson
44 DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Ben Crompton
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Luke Bell
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Oliver Bainbridge
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Jenson Jones
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Marshall Burke
— MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Elias Lenz
No.Pos.NationPlayer
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Ben Middlemas
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Jaydon Jones
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Cuba Mitchell
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Caden Kelly
50 MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Harrison Jones
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Ethan Moore
57 FW Flag of Ukraine.svg  UKR Timur Tutierov
47 FW Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi
40 FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Tom Watson
— FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Aaron Chung

Honours

Post EPPP:

Sunderland A.F.C. Under 18s

U18 Premier League
Domestic cup(s) FA Youth Cup
U18 Premier League Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Youth League
Website Official website
Current: 2023–24 U18 Premier League

Previously called Sunderland Youths, Sunderland U17s and Sunderland U19s, the Sunderland U18s team is the third team of Sunderland A.F.C. and the club's senior youth team. Dating back to the 1950s, the team consists of players beyond school-age on youth contracts. [32] Youth players can be promoted into the U21 or senior teams, but due to EPPP rules, will still remain on youth contracts.

Sunderland U18s play in the Category 1 North section of U18 Premier League. They finished bottom of the league in the 2020-21 season. [33] They also compete in the FA Youth Cup, a competition Sunderland have won twice. They play their home games at the Academy of Light.

Current squad

As of 12 September 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Matty Young
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Ben Metcalf
— GK Flag of England.svg  ENG Joe Cowan
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Jack Armstrong
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Joshua Baggs
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Ben Kindon
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Dan Parker
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG George Bell
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Finlay Holcroft
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Bayley Hester
— DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Archie Lightfoot
No.Pos.NationPlayer
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Ryan Wright
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Jack Whittaker
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Joe Neild
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Charlie Tindale
— MF Flag of England.svg  ENG Liam Hunt
— MF Flag of Ukraine.svg  UKR Ivan Struk
— FW Flag of Armenia.svg  ARM Finn Garagusian
— FW Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS Marcus Neill
— FW Ulster Banner.svg  NIR Rhys Walsh
— FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Jake Waters
— FW Flag of England.svg  ENG Felix Scott

Honours

Notable Youth & Academy Graduates

Selected players who came through Sunderland youth system. 1966 onwards

Notes

A.  ^ : Trophy was shared with Spennymoor Town after the final was cancelled due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Related Research Articles

The Academy of West Ham United F.C. is historically one of the most productive football academies in British football. This success has resulted in its nickname the Academy of Football.

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.

Liverpool F.C. Under 23s is the reserve & senior youth team of Liverpool F.C. It is the most senior level of the Liverpool academy beneath the first team. In the summer of 2012, the whole English reserve football system was overhauled and replaced with an Under 21 league system, the Professional Development League. Liverpool's reserve team became the Liverpool under 23 team and competes in the Professional Development League 1 which is also known by its sponsorship name of Barclays under 21 Premier League and Premier League 2. The team generally consists of Under-21 players at the club but at times senior players also play for the reserves when they are recuperating from injury. Following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season, only three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 can play for the reserves regularly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modbury Jets SC</span> Football club

Modbury SC, commonly known as Modbury Jets, is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia. Its senior men's teams currently compete in the National Premier Leagues South Australia and senior women's team in the Women's State League. The club also fields junior teams for girls and boys. The seniors play their home matches at Smith Partners Stadium in Ridgehaven, north of Adelaide and the Juniors play at Burragah Reserve, Modbury North.

The Tottenham Hotspur Academy is the youth system of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The academy was created to train and develop players from the age of eight all the way through to the age of 23. Many of those who have progressed through Tottenham's academy have gone on to sign professional contracts and several have represented their country at full international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester United F.C. Under-21s and Academy</span> Youth team of Manchester United F.C.

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.

The Aston Villa Under-21s, formerly known as Aston Villa Reserves and Aston Villa Under-23s, are the most senior youth development team of Aston Villa and compete in Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy and the Birmingham Senior Cup in the 2024–25 season. The team plays its home games at Aston Villa's training ground, Bodymoor Heath and occasionally Villa Park. Aston Villa also have an academy side that competes in the Under-18 division of the Professional Development League, the U18 Premier League Cup, and the FA Youth Cup annually. They will also field an under-19 side in the 2024–25 UEFA Youth League following Aston Villa's senior side qualifying for the UEFA Champion's League.

Gary Richards is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer. He is best known for his time spent both as a footballer and coach at his hometown club Swansea City. He is currently assistant manager at Haverfordwest County of the Welsh Premier League.

Arsenal Football Club Academy is the youth system of Arsenal Football Club based in Hale End, London, England. It is often referred to as Hale End eponymously by the club, sports media, and fans. The academy teams play in the Professional Development League, the highest level of youth football in England. The club also competes in the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League competitions. Former player Per Mertesacker is the current academy manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke City F.C. Under-21s and Academy</span> Football club

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.

The Professional Development League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Football Association via the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leicester City F.C. Under-21s and Academy</span> Football club

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.

The Reading Academy refers to the development teams of Reading Football Club. The club takes part in the Professional Development League system, with the Under-21 competing in the Premier League 2 – Division 2, and the Under-18 competing in the U18 Premier League – South Division.

The 2013-14 Under-21 Premier League Cup was the first edition of the U21 Premier League Cup.

The Premier League International Cup is an English football competition for under-23 teams from across Europe. It was designed to provide players in English Category One academies with the opportunity to match themselves against other elite European footballers from their age group in a competitive environment. The competition was created by the Premier League as part of the organisation's Elite Player Performance Plan and is not sanctioned by UEFA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014–15 Premier League International Cup</span> International football competition

The 2014–15 Premier League International Cup was the inaugural season of the Premier League International Cup, a European club football competition organised by the Premier League for under-21 players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Premier League International Cup</span> International football competition

The 2015–16 Premier League International Cup was the second season of the Premier League International Cup, a European club football competition organised by the Premier League for under-21 players.

The 2016–17 Premier League Cup is the fourth edition of the competition, and the first since it was renamed from the U21 Premier League Cup following the age limit being increased to under-23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Ramsey</span> English association football player

Jacob Matthew Ramsey is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa.

The 2022–23 Premier League Cup was the ninth edition of the competition. The defending champions were West Bromwich Albion, who defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties in the previous final. This season saw the return of a Under-21 age limit, reduced from Under-23 the previous season, with clubs permitted to use five over-age outfield players and an over-age goalkeeper in order to help with the transition.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sunderland's Academy gets elite status" . Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Eppleton CW Guide". Sunderland Association Football Club. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Bottom of the league: Manchester United's failing youth team". The Times. 3 March 2018. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Hunter, James (3 July 2018). "England's Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford are poster-boys for Sunderland's academy". nechronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  5. ↑ Taylor, Louise (17 November 2016). "Sunderland's Lynden Gooch: 'People say bad things about the north-east but I don't know why'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Sunderland Teams 1890/91". www.roker-roar.com. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "Northern Football Alliance |". www.northernfootballalliance.org.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  8. ↑ "Northern Alliance". donmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  9. 1 2 "England - North Eastern League". RSSSF . Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Website created using 350pages at www.350.com". www.nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Sunderland reserves". www.fchd.info. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Lads' Italian lesson kills final dream" . Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "Wearside League 1960-1988". www.nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Football: Heath takes over at Blades" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "YOURE RECORD BREAKERS!" . Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "Ten years on: SAFC's Reserve Team of 2007 - Where are they now?". Roker Report. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Durham Challenge Cup Winners". 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  18. 1 2 Mason, Rob (5 July 2017). "Sunderland's regeneration - how Black Cats youngsters give hope for future, just like in 1967". nechronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  19. ↑ Chronicle, Evening (20 January 2002). "Sven checks on Wearside kids". nechronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  20. ↑ "Academy of Light - Indoor Training Facility | Tolent Construction | Built on Commitment". Tolent Construction | Built on Commitment. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  21. ↑ Chronicle, Evening (4 March 2003). "Academy ready to see the Light". nechronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  22. ↑ Chronicle, Evening (28 May 2004). "Kees exits Academy". nechronicle. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  23. ↑ "Sunderland a shining light in academy world". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  24. ↑ "McNamee to step down". Sunderland Association Football Club. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  25. ↑ "The EPPP and why youth development matters | Football Supporters' Federation". www.fsf.org.uk. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "Premier League Table, Form Guide & Season Archives". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  27. ↑ "Sunderland 0-5 FC Porto :: U23 Premier League International Cup 2016/2017 :: Match Events :: thefinalball.com". www.thefinalball.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Premier League Table, Form Guide & Season Archives". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  29. 1 2 "PL2 become U21 competition" . Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "Exactly what happened and who impressed as Sunderland U23s beaten on penalties by Crystal Palace". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  31. ↑ "Moors to share Durham Challenge Cup with Sunderland". Spennymoor Town FC. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  32. ↑ "The Ultimate Guide to Youth Football Academy Contracts". Player Scout. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  33. ↑ "Summary - U18 Premier League - England - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

54°56′36″N1°23′36″W / 54.9433°N 1.3933°W / 54.9433; -1.3933

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.