Southampton F.C. Under-23s and Academy
Southampton F.C. Under-23s and Academy or Saints Under-23s 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. The team is made up of under-23 and academy players, is effectively Southampton's second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season.[1] They play in Premier League 2, Division 1. The team also competes in the Leasing.com Trophy, Premier League International Cup, Premier League Cup and the Hampshire Senior Cup. The under-18 players among other younger age groups make up the Academy team and play in the Premier League U18 First Division, South, Premier League U18 Cup and the FA Youth Cup.
Home fixtures are contested at the club's training facilities at Staplewood in Long Lane, Marchwood, Southampton and at St. Mary's, with some cup games being held at A.F.C. Totton's Testwood Stadium. Since November 2019, the under-23s have been managed in the interim by David Horseman, with Carl Martin managing the under-18s in the interim.
Age categories
- Under 23 (professionals)
- Under 18
- Under 16
- Under 15
- Under 14
- Under 13
- Under 12
- Under 11
- Under 10
- Under 9
- Under 8
International players
Amongst the players who passed through the Saints Academy and went on to represent their country since the turn of the Millennium are:
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In the past, prior to the establishment of the academy, the Southampton youth system has produced other international players, such as Terry Paine, Martin Chivers, Steve Williams, Mick Channon, Matthew Le Tissier, Kevin Phillips and Alan Shearer.
Four former Saints academy players featured in the England Under-21 match against Montenegro on 7 September 2007: Martin Cranie and Theo Walcott both started (with Walcott setting up the second goal) whilst Dexter Blackstock and Andrew Surman came on as second-half substitutes, with Surman scoring the final goal in a 3-0 victory, tapping the ball home in stoppage time from a knock-down by Blackstock.[2][3]
In England's international friendly against Denmark on 5 March 2014, three graduates of the Southampton F.C. Academy appeared as second-half substitutes: Luke Shaw (making his debut), Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Present structure
Matt Hale is the current Academy Director, stepping up from his role as Academy Manager in July 2019. He was replaced as academy manager by his assistant Ed Vahid at the same time. Robin Nicholls is the current Academy Operations Manager, while David Hughes was appointed as the first Head of Academy Player Development in mid-July 2019. The current academy set up has teams at all age groups from Under 8s all the way through to the professional Under 23 team, employing large number of coaches and educational staff. Iain Brunnschweiler is the current Coach Development Manager for the academy. Academy players from the age of 16 up until the age of 18 are often looked after by Host Families within the local area. These families are organised and monitored by Family Liaison Officer Ian Herding and his assistant Emma Walker.
The head of Academy recruitment currently is Chris Welman, while Rod Ruddick, Jim Flood, Wayne Stephens and Terry Burton are all involved in youth recruitment for the academy along with the club scouting team.
The aim of the Southampton academy is to "...produce Premiership class players..."[4]
Currently, Southampton's academy set-up is one of the best in the country and they have regularly reached the latter stages of the FA Youth Cup, as well as being successful in the FA Premier Academy League championship. In the 2010–2011 season the U18s were only just "...Pipped to the Title..." by one point on the last day of the season of the Group A league. Southampton had to win and Fulham had to draw or lose for Southampton to come top. After winning 1–3 away to Coventry City the U18s were dismayed to discover Fulham had come back from being 0–3 down versus Leicester City to win 5–3.
The academy has joined up with local college Sparsholt College to try to give those footballers who have missed out on a scholarship the opportunity to remain in the game and train and play matches with the Southampton Academy.[5]
In May 2013, Andre Villas-Boas, manager of Tottenham Hotspur praised the Southampton Academy for its ability to produce star players, describing it as "a great school of development" and comparing it to Sporting Lisbon.[6]
In April 2015, a Southampton U21 side won the U21 Premier League Cup, defeating a Blackburn Rovers U21 side in the two-legged final at St Mary's Stadium in front of more than 12,000 fans. Goals from Ryan Seager and Sam Gallagher cancelled out a Matt Targett own goal to give Southampton a 2–1 victory after extra time to win the second edition of the cup.[7]
Under-23 squad
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| Full name | Southampton Football Club (Under-23s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Saints | |||
| Ground | Staplewood Campus, Long Lane, Marchwood, Southampton | |||
| Manager | David Horseman (interim) (Under-23s) | |||
| League | Premier League 2, Division 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | Premier League 2, Division 2, 2nd of 12 (promoted via playoffs) | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Players (excluding scholars) who will qualify as U23s in season 2020–21 (i.e. born on or after 1 January 1997) and who are outside the first team squad.
- As of 2 August 2019.[8]
- Squad numbers represent numbers given to players for first team and Leasing.com Trophy matches only.
- ± Denotes a player on an 'extended scholarship'.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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U23 Honours
Leagues
- Premier League 2, Division 2
- 2nd (promoted via playoffs): 2018–19
Cups
- U21 Premier League Cup
- Winners: 2014–15
- Southampton Senior Cup
- Winners: 2017–18
- South Shields International Tournament
- Winners: 2018–19
Under-18 squad
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| Full name | Southampton Football Club (Under-18s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Saints | |||
| Ground | Staplewood Campus, Long Lane, Marchwood, Southampton | |||
| Manager | Carl Martin (interim) (Under-18s) | |||
| League | Premier U18 First Division, South | |||
| 2018–19 | Premier U18 First Division, South, 4th of 12 | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Academy 2nd Years 2020–21
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Academy 1st Years 2020–21
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- * = Professional contracts
Staff
- Under-23 / Under-18 management
- Interim U23 Coach: David Horseman
- Interim U23 Assistant Coach: Paul Hardyman
- Interim U18 Coach: Carl Martin
- Interim U18 Assistant Coach: Louis Carey
- Development Goalkeeping Coach: Vince Bartram
- Development Goalkeeping Coach: Ryan Flood
- Head of Academy Medical Services: Tom Sturdy
- Academy Liaison Officer: Ian Herding
- Assistant Academy Liaison officer: Emma Walker
- Head of Safeguarding: Margaret Sainsbury
Academy graduates (2000–present)
A number of players from the Southampton F.C. Academy have gone on to have careers in professional football, whether at Southampton or at other clubs. The following is a list of players who have made their Southampton first team debuts since the turn of the Millennium. Players who have represented Southampton in the Leasing.com Trophy, and no other competition, are not included in this list. Academy graduates who still play for Southampton, including those that are currently out on loan to other clubs, are highlighted in green. Where players have made their debut in the same fixture, they are sorted alphabetically by surname.
- As of 26 July 2020
References
- "Barclays U21 Premier League: Competition Format explained". premierleague.com. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- "Montenegro U21 0-3 England U21". bbc.co.uk. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- "Full Monte for U21s". thefa.com. 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
- Introduction to the Southampton Academy Archived 28 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- "Saints Programme". Southampton FC. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- "Andre Villas-Boas: Tottenham boss praises Southampton's academy". BBC Sport. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- "Gallagher wonder strike seals U21 PL Cup win for Southampton". Premier League. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- "2015/16 Development squad players". Southampton F.C. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
External links
- Southampton Under-23s at saintsfc.co.uk
- Southampton Under-18s at saintsfc.co.uk
- The Southampton FC academy way – These Football Times (2015)
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