Aston Villa Under-23s and Academy

The Aston Villa Under-23, also known as Aston Villa Under-21 and Aston Villa Reserves, are the most senior youth development team of Aston Villa and compete in Premier League 2 (Division 2) of the Professional Development League and the EFL Trophy in the 2019–20 season. The team were originally part of the FA Premier Reserve League since its foundation in 1999 and were winners of the 2011-12 Premier Reserve League South title, the last in that format. 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 and the FA Youth Cup annually. From 2019, having been promoted back to the Premier League, Aston Villa also field an under-21 side in the EFL Trophy against League One and League Two opposition.

For the men's senior team, see Aston Villa F.C. For the women's team, see Aston Villa L.F.C.

Aston Villa Under-23
Full nameAston Villa Football Club Under-23s & Academy
Nickname(s)Villans, The Villa, The Lions, The Claret & Blue Army
Short nameVilla, AVFC
Founded21 November 1874 (1874-11-21)[1]
GroundVilla Park
Capacity42,785[2]
Owner(s)Nassef Sawiris
Wesley Edens
ChairmanNassef Sawiris[3]
ManagerMark Delaney
LeaguePremier League 2 (Division 2)
2018–19Premier League 2 (Division 2), 5th, (Play-off semi-finalists)
WebsiteClub website

The side has been successful in recent years, as well as becoming national champions in the 2003–04 and 2009–10 seasons, the team also clinched four out of five Southern Championships between 2007 and 2012, before the format changed to the Professional Development League. The side also won the NextGen Series in 2013, a Europe-wide tournament for elite academies.

Current first-team players Keinan Davis, Andre Green and Jack Grealish all came through the youth system at the club, as well as former players Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ciaran Clark, Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Darius Vassell, Craig Gardner, Marc Albrighton, Andreas Weimann and Steven Davis amongst many others. The Villa academy also developed former England striker Daniel Sturridge and Birmingham City midfielder Daniel Crowley. The U23 team is primarily made up of players under the age of 23, although three over-age outfield players and an over-age goalkeeper may be named in a matchday squad. These may include fringe first-team players and first-team players recovering from injury.

History

The origins of the team date back to 1892, when Aston Villa Reserves joined the Birmingham & District League. After finishing in the runners-up position twice in the first 2 seasons of the competition, Villa finally won their first trophy in the 1894–95 season, winning 26 out of 30 league games and losing just once all season. Several titles followed after this achievement, including a run of 8 consecutive titles between 1902 and 1910. When Villa finally left the Birmingham & District League in 1915, they had accumulated a total of 12 league titles and 6 runners-up finishes.

After that, the reserve team played in the Central League for many years, becoming champions in 1929–30, 1963–64 and 1992–93.

In 1999–2000, the FA Premier Reserve League was set up, Villa were one of the founding members, and were split into the Northern section of the league. Three disappointing seasons followed, however in the 2003–04 season, inspired by brothers Stefan Moore and Luke Moore, Villa eased to their first title. In the two seasons which followed (2004–05 and 2005–06), Villa agonisingly finished both campaigns as runners-up, both times to Manchester United. In the 2006–07 season, for the first time since its introduction, the FA Premier Reserve League excluded Coca-Cola Championship teams from playing in the league, with the 20 senior English Premiership teams parallelling the teams involved in the FA Premier League. This also meant that due to geographical circumstances, Aston Villa Reserves were switched from the Northern Division, to the Southern equivalent, for the first time since the start of the original format in 1999. Villa eventually finished 4th - winning 9 out of their 18 games, with Luke Moore the top goalscorer, with 7. The season saw the impressive development of several youngsters, most notably including Zoltán Stieber, Shane Lowry and Stephen O'Halloran, all of which were rewarded with first-team opportunities in the pre-season fixtures, prior to the 2007–08 season.

Inspired by Swedish striker Tobias Mikaelsson, Aston Villa Reserves clinched the 2007–08 Southern title, their second regional success since the inception of the league in 1999. However, they were beaten 3-0 in the Play-Off Final by Northern champions Liverpool.

In the 2008–09 season, the team went one better by securing their second consecutive Southern title, and then defeating Sunderland to claim their first ever national title, with goals from Nathan Delfouneso, James Collins and Shane Lowry.

Andreas Weimann netted nine goals, to help Villa keep up their trend of securing the Southern title - their third on the trot - in the 2009–10 season. This included a remarkable 15-game unbeaten streak, running from the opening game of the campaign, all the way through to the last game of the season against Portsmouth. However, the club were denied a second consecutive national title, as they were beaten on penalties by Manchester United, after a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford.

The 2010–11 season saw changes to the standard format of the league. Only 16 clubs competed, which meant a split between the top heavy Northern league. Undoubtedly the highlight of the season, was a 10-1 home victory over Arsenal at the Greene King Stadium, en route to finishing third in the league.

Following changes arrived in the 2011–12 season. Three leagues were abolished, returning to two, whilst each team played the teams in their own league home and away. They also played each team in the regional league once, with home and away games split evenly. More success followed however, as Villa picked up another Southern title, with Andreas Weimann scoring nine times during the course of the season. It was a case of deja vu however, as they were again beaten on penalties by Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Premier Reserve League was abolished during the summer of 2012, to make way for the Professional Development League 1. Aston Villa will be one of 22 clubs to take part in the inaugural season, participating in Group 2 of the competition.

During the 13-year tenure of the original Reserve system, Aston Villa were the second most successful club - behind Manchester United - with five regional titles and one national title. The U23 team currently play their home matches at Villa Park and Bescot Stadium, home ground of Walsall F.C.. The Academy team play their home matches at Bodymoor Heath.

Hong Kong Soccer Sevens

The yearly invitational seven-a-side Hong Kong Soccer Sevens tournament brings together leading youth sides from around the world, and has brought notable success to Aston Villa's in the past - with a squad of reserve and youth players fielded annually for the event for over a decade. Villa have won the tournament five times, more than any other team.

Villa won the third HK Soccer Sevens tournament in 2002, defeating Arsenal in the final, they went on to defend their title in 2004 (as the 2003 competition was cancelled due to the SARS outbreak), inspired by Stephen Cooke and Steven Foley they clinched the trophy in the final against Manchester United. Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor captained Villa to the semi-final in 2006 - losing to the eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds - and also received the 'Player Of The Tournament' accolade. Villa won the competition again in May 2010, beating Central Coast Mariners of Australia in the final.[4]

Aston Villa Under-23

Squad
As of 25 June 2020[5]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
50 GK  FIN Viljami Sinisalo
34 DF  ENG Dominic Revan
38 DF  ENG Callum Rowe
56 MF  ENG Jack Clarke
No. Pos. Nation Player
36 MF  USA Indiana Vassilev
51 FW  ENG Cameron Archer
55 FW  IRL Tyreik Wright
— FW  ENG Louie Barry

On Loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
35 DF  ENG Jake Walker
54 MF  ENG Lewis Brunt
No. Pos. Nation Player
41 MF  ENG Jacob Ramsey
45 MF  ENG Ben Guy

Reserve, U21 & U23 Honours

Birmingham & District League

  • Winners:
    • 1894/95, 1895/96, 1899/00, 1902/03, 1903/04, 1904/05, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1909/10, 1911/12.
  • Runners-Up:
    • 1892/93, 1893/94, 1897/98, 1898/99, 1900/01, 1910/11.

Birmingham Senior Cup

  • Winners:
    • 1879/80, 1881/82, 1882/83, 1883/84, 1884/85, 1887/88, 1888/89, 1889/90, 1890/91, 1895/96, 1898/99, 1902/03, 1903/04, 1905/06, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1909/10, 1911/12, 1984/85.
  • Runners-Up:
    • 1875/76, 1880/81, 1892/93, 1894/95, 1900/01, 1901/02, 1923/24, 1982/83, 1994/95, 1995/96.

FA Premier Reserve League North

  • Winners:
    • 2003/04.
  • Runners-Up:
    • 2004/05, 2005/06.

FA Premier Reserve League South

  • Winners:
    • 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2011/12

FA Premier League Cup

  • Winners:
    • 2017/18

FA Premier Reserve League

  • Winners:
    • 2008/09.
  • Runners-Up:
    • 2007/08, 2009/10, 2011/12.

HKFC International Soccer Sevens

  • Winners:
    • 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016

Aston Villa Academy

Aston Villa Academy is the youth development system of Premier League team Aston Villa, it fields an under-18s team in the U18 Professional Development League 1 (South Division). Until 2012 the team competed in Group B of the now defunct FA Premier Academy League.

In the 2009/10 season Villa clinched top spot in Group B of the Premier Academy League, impressively notching the most wins (22), most points (68) and most goals (84) of all 41 clubs involved. Villa's youngsters were drawn against Group A winners Arsenal in the semi-final, which was won via a single strike from Nathan Delfouneso. This subsequently meant a final against FA Youth Cup winners Manchester City, which was comprehensively won 2-0, with goals from James Collins and Chris Herd. The top scorers for the season were Irish striker James Collins (23), Austrian striker Andreas Weimann (16) and English striker Nathan Delfouneso (15).The 2008/09 season was less fruitful for Villa's youngsters, as they finished 3rd in Group B, and were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle, losing in the Third Round to eventual champions Arsenal.

Villa's youth team has a strong history in the FA Youth Cup with wins in 1972, 1980 and 2002. More recently, Villa also reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2004, eventually being knocked out by eventual runners-up Chelsea.

The Aston Villa Academy played in both seasons of the now defunct NextGen Series, a tournament for Europe's elite football academies between 2011 and 2013. The team was composed of under-18s with up to three under-19s in each matchday squad. Having made the quarter-finals in the 2011-12 Series, the academy side captained by Samir Carruthers won the final of the 2012-13 tournament on 1 April 2013 beating Chelsea 2–0, at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, in Como, Italy.[6]

The team train at Bodymoor Heath in North Warwickshire and also play their home matches there on weekends.

Academy squad
As of 16 August 2019.[7][8]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  HUN Ákos Ónodi
53 GK  ENG Filip Marshall
— DF  ENG Bradley Burton
61 DF  ENG Myles Sohna
— DF  ENG Paul Appiah
44 DF  ENG Mungo Bridge
— MF  ENG Charlie Farr
62 MF  ENG Harrison Sohna
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  ENG Mamadou Diarra Sylla
— MF  ENG Aaron Ramsey
49 FW  ENG Michael Tait
36 FW  USA Indiana Vassilev
45 FW  ENG Ben Guy
57 FW  ENG Jaden Philogene-Bidace
— FW  ENG DJ Campton-Sturridge

Academy Honours

NextGen Series

  • Winners:
    • 2012–13

FA Youth Cup

  • Winners:
  • Runners-Up:
    • 1978, 2004

FA Premier Academy League U17s

  • Winners:
    • 2003–04

FA Premier Academy League U18s: Group B

  • Winners:
    • 2007–08
    • 2010–11

FA Premier Academy League U18s: Play-Offs

  • Winners:
    • 2007–08
  • Runners-Up:
    • 2007

Non-playing staff

Corporate hierarchy
Position Name
Executive ChairmanNassef Sawiris
Co-Chairman Wes Edens
Chief Executive OfficerChristian Purslow

Reference:[9]

Management hierarchy
Position Name
Academy DirectorMark Harrison
Under-23 ManagerMark Delaney
Under-23 Goalkeeping CoachMark Nolan
Under-18 ManagerRichard Beale
Under-18 Assistant ManagerSean Verity
Under-18 Goalkeeping CoachMichael Pearce
Under-18 CoachGeorge Boateng
Under-18 CoachBrian Eastick
Academy CoachPeter Saunders
Academy CoachTom Evans
Academy CoachDan Bolas
Head of Education and WelfarePaul Brackwell

Notable Academy Graduates

The following players have all been members of the Aston Villa academy for at least one full season and have either made at least one appearance for the first team in professional competition, have gone on to play for a fully professional team or have represented their national team. Players in bold are still contracted to the club.

2020s
Player DOB Position First-Team Debut First-Team Appearances First-Team Goals Current Team
Indiana Vassilev 16 February 2001 Forward 4 January 2020 (vs Fulham) Ongoing Ongoing Aston Villa

2010s
Player DOB Position First-Team Debut First-Team Appearances First-Team Goals Current Team
Cameron Archer 21 July 2001 Forward 27 August 2019 (vs Crewe Alexandra) Ongoing Ongoing Aston Villa
Jacob Ramsey 28 May 2001 Midfielder 19 February 2019 (vs West Bromwich Albion) Ongoing Ongoing Aston Villa
Matija Sarkic 23 July 1997 Goalkeeper 24 October 2017 (EFL Trophy with Wigan Athletic) 0 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Mitch Clark 13 March 1999 Defender 22 August 2017 (vs Wigan Athletic) 1 0 Leicester City
Easah Suliman 26 January 1998 Defender 22 August 2017 (vs Wigan Athletic) 3 0 Vitoria de Guimaraes
Jake Doyle-Hayes 30 December 1998 Midfielder 22 August 2017 (vs Wigan Athletic) 3 0 Unattached
Callum O'Hare 1 May 1998 Midfielder 9 August 2017 (vs Colchester United) 9 0 Coventry City
Corey Blackett-Taylor 23 September 1997 Midfielder 7 March 2017 (vs Huddersfield Town) 2 0 Tranmere Rovers
Keinan Davis 13 February 1998 Forward 8 January 2017 (vs Tottenham Hotspur) Ongoing Ongoing Aston Villa
Jordan Lyden 30 January 1996 Midfielder 24 September 2016 (League Two with Stevenage) 8 0 Swindon Town
Niall Mason 10 January 1997 Defender 6 August 2016 (League Two with Doncaster Rovers) 0 0 Peterborough United
Kevin Toner 18 July 1996 Defender 23 April 2016 (vs Southampton) 4 0 Kilmore Celtic
Jerell Sellars 11 December 1995 Forward 2 April 2016 (League Two with Wycombe Wanderers) 0 0 Östersunds FK
Andre Green 26 July 1998 Forward 13 March 2016 (vs Tottenham Hotspur) 48 2 Unattached
Harry McKirdy 29 March 1997 Forward 9 January 2016 (vs Wycombe Wanderers) 6 0 Carlisle United
Daniel Crowley 3 August 1997 Midfielder 9 August 2015 (League One with Barnsley) 0 0 Birmingham City
Lewis Kinsella 2 February 1994 Defender 28 March 2015 (League Two with Luton Town) 0 0 Aldershot Town
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy 24 August 1998 Forward 14 March 2015 (vs Sunderland) 17 0 Pafos
András Stieber 8 October 1991 Midfielder 27 September 2014 (Nemzeti Bajnokság I with Győri ETO) 0 0 Újpest
Janoi Donacien 3 November 1993 Defender 30 August 2014 (League Two with Tranmere Rovers) 0 0 Ipswich Town
Jack Grealish 10 September 1995 Midfielder 7 May 2014 (vs Manchester City) Ongoing Ongoing Aston Villa
Benjamin Siegrist 31 January 1992 Goalkeeper 26 March 2014 (Conference Premier with Cambridge United) 0 0 Dundee United
Michael Drennan 2 September 1994 Forward 18 January 2014 (League One with Carlisle United) 0 0 St Patrick's Athletic
Jordan Graham 5 March 1995 Midfielder 7 December 2013 (Championship with Ipswich Town) 0 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Umit Eminoglu 14 September 1994 Midfielder 25 September 2013 (Turkish Cup with Gençlerbirliği) 0 0 Feckenham
Callum Robinson 2 February 1995 Forward 24 September 2013 (vs Tottenham Hotspur) 5 0 Sheffield United
Reece Caira 7 January 1993 Defender 27 December 2012 (A-League with Western Sydney Wanderers) 0 0 Berkeley Vale Wombats
Derrick Williams 17 January 1993 Defender 1 December 2012 (vs QPR) 1 0 Blackburn Rovers
Daniel Johnson 8 October 1992 Midfielder 23 October 2012 (League One with Yeovil Town) 0 0 Preston North End
Graham Burke 21 September 1993 Striker 28 August 2012 (vs Tranmere Rovers) 0 0 Preston North End & Republic of Ireland
Samir Carruthers 4 April 1993 Midfielder 7 April 2012 (vs Liverpool) 3 0 Unattached
Gary Gardner 29 June 1992 Midfielder 31 December 2011 (vs Chelsea) 33 1 Birmingham City
Nathan Baker 23 April 1991 Defender 25 January 2011 (vs Wigan Athletic) 122 1 Bristol City
Chris Herd 4 April 1989 Midfielder 13 November 2010 (vs Manchester United) 42 2 Unattached
Jonathan Hogg 6 December 1988 Midfielder 13 November 2010 (vs Manchester United) 7 0 Huddersfield Town
Harry Forrester 2 January 1991 Midfielder 11 September 2010 (Scottish Premier League with Kilmarnock) 0 0 Orange County SC
Eric Lichaj 17 November 1988 Defender 19 August 2010 (vs Rapid Vienna) 42 2 Unattached & United States
Andreas Weimann 5 August 1991 Forward 14 August 2010 (vs West Ham United) 113 17 Bristol City & Austria

2000s
Player DOB Position First-Team Debut First-Team Appearances First-Team Goals Current Team
James Collins 1 December 1990 Forward 24 October 2009 (League Two with Darlington F.C.) 0 0 Luton Town
Ciaran Clark 26 September 1989 Defender 30 August 2009 (vs Fulham) 159 10 Newcastle United F.C. & Ireland
Shane Lowry 12 June 1989 Defender 20 August 2009 (vs Rapid Vienna) 3 0 Al Ahli Doha
Marc Albrighton 18 November 1989 Midfielder 26 February 2009 (vs CSKA Moscow) 101 9 Leicester City
Barry Bannan 1 December 1989 Midfielder 17 December 2008 (vs Hamburger SV) 83 2 Sheffield Wednesday & Scotland
Nathan Delfouneso 2 February 1991 Forward 14 August 2008 (vs FH) 50 9 Blackpool
Bobby Olejnik 26 November 1986 Goalkeeper 24 November 2007 (Scottish Premier League with Falkirk F.C.) 0 0 Unattached
Zoltán Stieber 16 October 1988 Midfielder 24 November 2007 (League Two with Yeovil Town F.C.) 0 0 Újpest & Hungary
Daniel Sturridge 1 September 1989 Forward 3 February 2007 (Premier League with Manchester City) 0 0 Unattached & England
Stephen O'Halloran 29 November 1987 Defender 31 October 2006 (League Two with Wycombe Wanderers) 0 0 Stalybridge Celtic
Isaiah Osbourne 15 November 1987 Midfielder 21 October 2006 (vs Fulham) 30 0 Nuneaton Borough
Gary Cahill 19 December 1985 Defender 1 April 2006 (vs Arsenal) 31 1 Crystal Palace
Gabriel Agbonlahor 13 October 1986 Forward 18 March 2006 (vs Everton) 391 86 Retired
Jamie Ward 12 May 1986 Striker 7 March 2006 (League Two with Stockport County F.C.) 0 0 Unattached
Craig Gardner 25 November 1986 Midfielder 26 December 2005 (vs Everton) 80 6 Retired
Steven Davis 1 January 1985 Midfielder 18 September 2004 (vs Norwich City) 102 9 Rangers & Northern Ireland
Wayne Henderson 16 September 1983 Goalkeeper 13 March 2004 (Conference Premier with Tamworth F.C.) 0 0 Retired
Luke Moore 13 February 1986 Forward 22 February 2004 (vs Birmingham City) 98 14 Retired
Peter Whittingham 8 September 1984 Midfielder 23 April 2003 (vs Newcastle United) 66 2 Died - 19 March 2020
Liam Ridgewell 21 July 1984 Defender 4 January 2003 (vs Blackburn Rovers) 93 7 Retired
Rob Edwards 25 December 1982 Defender 28 December 2002 (vs Middlesbrough) 9 0 Retired
Boaz Myhill 9 November 1982 Goalkeeper 30 November 2002 (Division One with Bradford City F.C.) 0 0 Retired
Stefan Moore 28 September 1983 Forward 11 September 2002 (vs Charlton Athletic) 30 2 Retired
Thomas Hitzlsperger 5 April 1982 Midfielder 13 January 2001 (vs Liverpool) 114 12 Retired
Stephen Cooke 15 February 1982 Midfielder 2 August 2000 (vs Celta de Vigo) 4 0 Retired
Jonathan Bewers 10 September 1982 Defender 15 April 2000 (vs Tottenham Hotspur) 1 0 Retired

1990s
Player DOB Position First-Team Debut First-Team Appearances First-Team Goals Current Team
Aaron Lescott 2 December 1978 Defender 2 January 1999 (vs Hull City) 1 0 Retired
Adam Rachel 10 December 1976 Goalkeeper 26 December 1998 (vs Blackburn Rovers) 1 0 Retired
Tommy Jaszczun 16 September 1977 Defender 28 October 1998 (vs Chelsea) 1 0 Retired
Darius Vassell 13 June 1980 Forward 23 August 1998 (vs Middlesbrough) 201 45 Retired
Gareth Barry 23 February 1981 Midfielder 2 May 1998 (vs Sheffield Wednesday) 441 52 West Bromwich Albion
Darren Byfield 29 September 1979 Forward 28 December 1997 (vs Leeds United) 10 0 Retired
Richard Walker 8 November 1977 Forward 28 December 1997 (vs Leeds United) 10 2 Retired
Lee Hendrie 18 May 1977 Midfielder 23 December 1995 (vs Queens Park Rangers) 308 32 Retired
Gareth Farrelly 28 August 1975 Midfielder 20 September 1995 (vs Peterborough United) 8 0 Retired
Riccardo Scimeca 13 June 1975 Defender 19 August 1995 (vs Manchester United) 73 2 Retired
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References
  1. "Aston Villa Football Club information". BBC Sport. 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
  2. "EFL Official Website - Aston Villa". EFL. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. "Aston Villa: Wes Edens & Nassef Sawiris to make 'significant investment' in club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  4. "Jones: I'll never forget Gabby's performances in Hong Kong Sevens". Aston Villa F.C. Official Website. June 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  5. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 released lists". Premier League. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2302225/Chelsea-v-Aston-Villa--NextGen-final-LIVE.html
  7. "On the Whistle: Southampton U18s 2-3 Aston Villa U18s". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  8. "Under-18 Squad". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  9. "Revealed: Aston Villa fan appointed to club's board by Tony Xia". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
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