Leeds United F.C. Under-21s and Academy
Leeds United Reserves are the reserve team of Leeds United A.F.C.. They are members of The Central League – Division One East and first won it in the 1997–98 season. The reserves are managed by Academy Manager Neil Thompson and currently play at the first team's home ground, Elland Road[1]. In previous seasons, the reserves have played at York City's KitKat Crescent and the South Leeds Stadium[2]. The reserves are generally a mix of recovering or fringe first team players, young professionals and promising scholars.
Leeds United Under 18s are the youth team of Leeds United A.F.C.. They play in the Premier Academy League. The youth team won the competition in the 2002–03 season when the league was split in to Under 19s and Under 17s, with Leeds winning the Under 17s competition. Daral Pugh is the current manager of the Leeds Under 18s[3]. They play at the club's training ground, Thorp Arch. The youth team also annually compete in the FA Youth Cup, having won it twice – the first time in 1993, thrashing Manchester United 4–1[4] and the second time beating Crystal Palace 3–0 in 1997[5].
Leeds' concentration on youth since the Ridsdale era has been noticed in the footballing world. The Leeds United Academy has produced several promising youngsters have been snapped up by "Top four" and other Premiership sides in recent years. Michael Woods and Tom Taiwo moved to Chelsea, Danny Rose was snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur, Danny Ward switched to Bolton Wanderers and Luke Garbutt moved to Everton while still in the youth team. Other graduates who have made first team appearances include Aaron Lennon of Tottenham Hotspur and James Milner of Aston Villa, both of whom have been capped for England at the youth and senior levels, former England international Alan Smith, Matt Kilgallon of Premiership side Sunderland, current first teamer and vice captain Jonathan Howson and England U-21 midfielder Fabian Delph who later went to Aston Villa in the summer of 2009. This attention to youth has attracted praise at the highest level with the president of FIFA Sepp Blatter commenting "Leeds, a club I greatly respect, have to be applauded for its efforts in this regard".[6]
Honours
Reserves
- League
- The Central League (Tier 1)
- Winners (2) 1936-37, 1997-98
- The Central League, Division One East (Tier 2)
- Winners (1) 2008-09
Under 18s
- Cups
- FA Youth Cup
- Winners (2) 1993, 1997
Under 17s
- League
- Premier Academy League (Tier 1)
- Winners (1) 2002-03
Managers
For a more detailed list of Academy coaching staff, please click here.
Academy Directors
| From | To | Name | Notes |
| 1992 | 1997 | Paul Hart | |
| 1998 | 2000 | Alan Hill | |
| 1999 | 2000 | Steve Beaglehole | Assistant |
| 2000 | 2001 | Brian Kidd | |
| 2000 | c.2001 | Clive Richards | Assistant |
| 2001 | 2005 | Gary Worthington | Assistant |
| 2002 | 2004 | Andy Ritchie | |
| 2004 | pres. | Neil Thompson | |
| 2009 | pres. | Daral Pugh | Assistant |
Reserves
| From | To | Name |
| 1948 | 1960 | Willis Edwards |
| 1967 | 1975 | Cyril Patridge |
| 1978 | 1980 | Bryan Edwards |
| 1980 | 1991 | Peter Gunby |
| 1995 | 1997 | David Williams |
| 1997 | 1998 | Eddie Gray |
| 2000 | 2003 | Roy Aitken |
| 2003 | 2005 | Steve Agnew |
| 2006 | David Geddis | |
| 2006 | pres. | Neil Thompson |
Under 19s & 17s and 18s & 16s
| From | To | Name | Position |
| 2000 | 2004 | Bryan 'Pop' Robson | Under 17s Coach (2000-01), Under 19s Coach (2001-04) |
| 2006 | 2007 | Steve Agnew | Under 18s Coach |
| 2007 | Paul Beesley | Under 18s Coach | |
| 2007 | pres. | Daral Pugh | Under 16s Coach Under 18s Coach (2007-09) |
| 2009 | pres. | Neil Redfearn | Under 18s Coach |
Current players
Any player whether a professional, a young professional or a scholar is eligible to play for the reserves. Only players under the age of 18 (primarily scholars) are eligible to play for the Under 18s[3].
| Player | DOB | Position | International Caps | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Professionals | |||||
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Will Hatfield | 10 October 1991 | CM | ||
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Tom Lees | 28 November 1990 | CB | ||
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Andrew Milne | 30 September 1990 | CB | Capped at Under-18 level | |
| 2nd year scholars | |||||
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Ryan Jones | 2 April 1992 | GK | ||
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Sam Jones | 18 September 1991 | CM | Capped at Under-19 level | |
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Adam Watson | 11 September 1991 | CB | ||
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Michael Whitwell | 21 September 1991 | FW | ||
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Callum Williams | 8 September 1991 | CB | ||
| 1st year scholars | |||||
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James Baxendale | September 16, 1992 | MF | ||
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Jonathan Birbeck | 7 October 1992 | FW | ||
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Alex Cairns | 4 January 1993 | GK | ||
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Joe McCann | 11 October 1992 | LM | Capped at Under-16 and 17 level | |
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Sanchez Payne | 31 January 1993 | MF | ||
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Lewis Turner | 3 September 1992 | RM | ||
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Nathan Turner | 3 September 1992 | RB | ||
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Massimo Cimino | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day | |||
References
- ^ "Scratching his Head". Leeds United. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Leeds reserves will play at York". BBC Sport. 2006-05-27. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ a b Leeds United The Next Chapter: Official Handbook 2008/09. Leeds United. 2008.
- ^ David Barber. "Leeds upset United". The FA. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "FA Youth Cup 1953-2006". The FA. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Blatter praises Leeds youth model". BBC Sport. BBC. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-10-16.