2023–24 Professional U18 Development League
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Champions | Manchester United U18s (1st title) |
Matches played | 313 |
Goals scored | 1,371 (4.38 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Chido Obi-Martin (32 goals) |
Biggest home win | Chelsea U18s 9–1 West Bromwich Albion U18s (27 December 2023) Everton U18s 8–0 Newcastle United U18s (18 May 2024) |
Biggest away win | Reading U18s 0–9 Southampton U18s (20 April 2024) Norwich City U18s 0–9 Arsenal U18s (27 April 2024) |
Highest scoring | Arsenal U18s 8–3 Crystal Palace U18s (16 March 2024) |
Longest unbeaten run | Manchester United U18s (17 games) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
The 2023–24 Professional U18 Development League was the 12th season of the Professional Development League system. There were 26 teams competing, divided into North and South divisions according to their region.
Reading U18s regained Category One status in the summer.[1]
North
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manchester United U18s (C, Q) | 24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 78 | 28 | +50 | 62 | Qualification for the National Final |
2 | Manchester City U18s | 24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 71 | 27 | +44 | 56 | |
3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U18s | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 43 | 34 | +9 | 41 | |
4 | Derby County U18s | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 37 | |
5 | Leeds United U18s | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 33 | |
6 | Liverpool U18s | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 32 | |
7 | Nottingham Forest U18s | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 47 | −10 | 32 | |
8 | Newcastle United U18s | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 49 | 61 | −12 | 32 | |
9 | Middlesbrough U18s | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 47 | −14 | 27 | |
10 | Blackburn Rovers U18s | 24 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 39 | 60 | −21 | 27 | |
11 | Everton U18s | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 25 | |
12 | Stoke City U18s | 24 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 43 | 61 | −18 | 23 | |
13 | Sunderland U18s | 24 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 32 | 61 | −29 | 18 |
Results
[edit]South
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chelsea U18s (C, Q) | 24 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 72 | 41 | +31 | 54 | Qualification for the National Final |
2 | West Ham United U18s | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 72 | 48 | +24 | 49 | |
3 | Arsenal U18s | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 83 | 43 | +40 | 47 | |
4 | Tottenham Hotspur U18s | 24 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 45 | |
5 | Fulham U18s | 24 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 66 | 49 | +17 | 44 | |
6 | Crystal Palace U18s | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 60 | 48 | +12 | 41 | |
7 | Brighton & Hove Albion U18s | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 60 | 55 | +5 | 37 | |
8 | Leicester City U18s | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 28 | |
9 | West Bromwich Albion U18s | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 43 | 65 | −22 | 25 | |
10 | Southampton U18s | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 23 | |
11 | Norwich City U18s | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 41 | 81 | −40 | 19 | |
12 | Aston Villa U18s | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 50 | 70 | −20 | 17 | |
13 | Reading U18s | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 28 | 71 | −43 | 17 |
Results
[edit]National Final
[edit]Chelsea U18s | 1–2 | Manchester United U18s |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
Season statistics
[edit]- As of 2 September 2023
Top goalscorers
[edit]Rank | Player | Club | Goals[3] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom Olyott | Fulham | 5 |
Sean Neave | Newcastle United | ||
Rory Wilson | Aston Villa | ||
4 | Jesse Derry | Crystal Palace | 4 |
Jayden Danns | Liverpool | ||
Lleyton Brown | Leeds United |
Hat-tricks
[edit]Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lleyton Brown | Leeds United | Stoke City | 6–1 (A) | 12 August 2023 | [4] |
Zach Marsh | Crystal Palace | Southampton | 5–0 (H) | 12 August 2023 | [5] |
Rory Wilson | Aston Villa | Tottenham Hotspur | 4–0 (H) | 12 August 2023 | [6] |
Tom Olyott | Fulham | Leicester City | 4–3 (H) | 26 August 2023 | [7] |
Ato Ampah | Chelsea | Aston Villa | 5–1 (A) | 26 August 2023 | [8] |
Alfie Harrison | Manchester City | Blackburn Rovers | 6–0 (H) | 26 August 2023 | [9] |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
Professional Development League 2
[edit]Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Champions | Birmingham City U18s |
Matches played | 313 (310 RS, 3 PO) |
Goals scored | 1,307 (4.18 per match) (1,294 RS, 13 PO) |
Top goalscorer | Micah Mbick (27 goals) |
Biggest home win | Millwall U18s 12–0 Queens Park Rangers U18s (9 March 2024) |
Biggest away win | Colchester United U18s 1–10 Millwall U18s (13 January 2024) |
Highest scoring | Millwall U18s 12–0 Queens Park Rangers U18s (9 March 2024) Millwall U18s 8–4 Cardiff City U18s (1 May 2024) |
Longest winning run | 8 matches Birmingham City U18s |
Longest unbeaten run | 13 matches Charlton Athletic U18s |
Longest winless run | 18 matches Colchester United U18s |
Longest losing run | 8 matches Fleetwood Town U18s and Peterborough United U18s |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
The 2023–24 season was the 12th edition of the Professional Development League 2, an under-18 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status. The league was split regionally into North and South divisions, with each team facing opponents in their own region twice both home and away, and opponents in the other region once, resulting in 30 games played for the North Division, while the South Division played 29 games. The sides finishing in the top two positions in both regions at the end of the season progressed to a knockout stage to determine the overall league champion. Barnsley U18s were the defending national champions while AFC Bournemouth U18s and Fleetwood Town U18s joined the division for the 2023–24 season.[10]
Tables
[edit]North Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Birmingham City U18s | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 73 | 37 | +36 | 67 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
2 | Barnsley U18s | 30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 71 | 43 | +28 | 57 | |
3 | Sheffield Wednesday U18s | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 56 | 36 | +20 | 52 | |
4 | Burnley U18s | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 46 | |
5 | Sheffield United U18s | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 57 | 48 | +9 | 42 | |
6 | Crewe Alexandra U18s | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 71 | 73 | −2 | 39 | |
7 | Fleetwood Town U18s | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 38 | |
8 | Hull City U18s | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 47 | 70 | −23 | 36 | |
9 | Coventry City U18s | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 51 | 75 | −24 | 32 | |
10 | Wigan Athletic U18s | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 28 | |
11 | Peterborough United U18s | 30 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 44 | 87 | −43 | 20 |
South Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charlton Athletic U18s | 29 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 94 | 51 | +43 | 68 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
2 | Bristol City U18s | 29 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 75 | 35 | +40 | 62 | |
3 | Cardiff City U18s | 29 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 76 | 51 | +25 | 57 | |
4 | Watford U18s | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 60 | 36 | +24 | 50 | |
5 | AFC Bournemouth U18s | 29 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 65 | 71 | −6 | 39 | |
6 | Millwall U18s | 29 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 86 | 67 | +19 | 38 | |
7 | Ipswich Town U18s | 29 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 67 | 77 | −10 | 36 | |
8 | Swansea City U18s | 29 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 49 | 63 | −14 | 34 | |
9 | Queens Park Rangers U18s | 29 | 8 | 2 | 19 | 54 | 111 | −57 | 26 | |
10 | Colchester United U18s | 29 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 47 | 93 | −46 | 22 |
Knock-out stage
[edit]Semi-finals
Charlton Athletic U18s | 5–3 | Barnsley U18s |
---|---|---|
Report |
Professional Development League Two Play-Off Final
Birmingham City U18s | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Charlton Athletic U18s |
---|---|---|
EFL Youth Alliance
[edit]Season | 2023-24 |
---|---|
Champions | North-East Division Mansfield Town U18s North-West Division Preston North End U18s South-East Division Luton Town U18s South-West Division Plymouth Argyle U18s Merit League One Plymouth Argyle U18s Merit League Two Brentford U18s North-East Division Championship Group Round Mansfield Town U18s North-East Division Lower Table Round Grimsby Town U18s |
Matches played | 581 |
Goals scored | 2,247 (3.87 per match) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
The Football League Youth Alliance sometimes known as League 3 is run by the Football League under the auspices of the EFL Youth Alliance. 45 teams were scheduled to competed this season, however one team was expelled before the season began. Notts County U18s returned to the league after a 3-season absence, while Wrexham U18s returned to the lague after a 4-season absence because both teams clubs were promoted back to the Football League. AFC Bournemouth U18s and Fleetwood Town U18s both left because their academies were promoted to Category 2 and as a result both teams joined the U18 Professional Development League 2.[10] Because their parent club was relegated from the National League in their first season, Scunthrope United U18s were expelled from the league because there was no way their parent club could not promote back to the football league in time. Meanwhile Southend United U18s did not participate because their parent club lost their EPPP license. For clubs that get relegated to the National League, they have two years to gain promotion back to the EFL. Otherwise, they lose their license with the League.
League stage
[edit]- As of match played 4 May 2024[11]
North-East Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mansfield Town U18s (C) | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 23 | +25 | 39 | Northeast Division Championship Round |
2 | Burton Albion U18s | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 34 | |
3 | Rotherham United U18s | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 33 | |
4 | Lincoln City U18s | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 32 | |
5 | Bradford City U18s | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 32 | |
6 | Hartlepool United U18s | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 32 | |
7 | Grimsby Town U18s | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 30 | Northeast Division Lower Round |
8 | Harrogate Town U18s | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 32 | −2 | 28 | |
9 | Doncaster Rovers U18s | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 33 | −3 | 24 | |
10 | Huddersfield Town U18s | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 | 65 | −38 | 16 | |
11 | Notts County U18s | 20 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 26 | 59 | −33 | 13 | |
12 | Scunthorpe United U18s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
North-West Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Preston North End U18s (C) | 26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 75 | 49 | +26 | 56 |
2 | Wrexham U18s | 26 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 55 |
3 | Bolton Wanderers U18s | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 70 | 37 | +33 | 54 |
4 | Morecambe U18s | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 58 | 39 | +19 | 54 |
5 | Accrington Stanley U18s | 26 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 76 | 60 | +16 | 52 |
6 | Blackpool U18s | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 44 |
7 | Shrewsbury Town U18s | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 35 |
8 | Salford City U18s | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 31 |
9 | Stockport County U18s | 26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 31 |
10 | Rochdale U18s | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 30 |
11 | Oldham Athletic U18s | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 30 |
12 | Carlisle United U18s | 26 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 42 | 65 | −23 | 27 |
13 | Port Vale U18s | 26 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 44 | 75 | −31 | 18 |
14 | Walsall U18s | 26 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 27 | 68 | −41 | 12 |
South-East Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Luton Town U18s (C) | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 41 | 17 | +24 | 38 | Merit League One |
2 | AFC Wimbledon U18s | 18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 35 | |
3 | Stevenage U18s | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 19 | +14 | 34 | |
4 | Sutton United U18s | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 31 | |
5 | Leyton Orient U18s | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 28 | |
6 | Northampton Town U18s | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 26 | −1 | 24 | Merit League Two |
7 | Cambridge United U18s | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 23 | |
8 | Brentford U18s | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 35 | 48 | −13 | 15 | |
9 | Gillingham U18s | 18 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 14 | |
10 | Milton Keynes Dons U18s | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 56 | −35 | 12 |
South-West Division
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Plymouth Argyle U18s (C) | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 36 | Merit League One |
2 | Swindon Town U18s | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 42 | 20 | +22 | 34 | |
3 | Portsmouth U18s | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 23 | |
4 | Cheltenham Town U18s | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 23 | |
5 | Oxford United U18s | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 23 | 26 | −3 | 21 | |
6 | Exeter City U18s | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 32 | 39 | −7 | 20 | Merit League Two |
7 | Forest Green Rovers U18s | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 19 | |
8 | Bristol Rovers U18s | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 33 | −8 | 18 | |
9 | Newport County U18s | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 28 | 53 | −25 | 11 |
Merit League Stage
[edit]The teams in the Southeast and Southwest Divisions played another ten games to determine the champions of Merit League One and Merit League Two.
Merit League One
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Plymouth Argyle U18s (C) | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 13 | +11 | 22 |
2 | Leyton Orient U18s | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 16 | +10 | 16 |
3 | Stevenage U18s | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 14 |
4 | Portsmouth U18s | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 14 |
5 | Luton Town U18s | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 12 |
6 | Swindon Town U18s | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 11 |
7 | Oxford United U18s | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 11 |
8 | AFC Wimbledon U18s | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 10 |
9 | Cheltenham Town U18s | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 25 | −8 | 9 |
10 | Sutton United U18s | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 4 |
Merit League Two
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brentford U18s (C) | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 18 |
2 | Gillingham U18s | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 10 | +11 | 18 |
3 | Cambridge United U18s | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 15 |
4 | Bristol Rovers U18s | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 14 |
5 | Northampton Town U18s | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 12 |
6 | Forest Green Rovers U18s | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 11 |
7 | Milton Keynes Dons U18s | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 7 |
8 | Newport County U18s | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 33 | −12 | 7 |
9 | Exeter City U18s | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 3 |
Northeast Division 2nd Phase
[edit]Only 4 or 5 games were played but they were added in the regular season averages.
North-East Merit Championship Group
[edit]These games include the regular season matches.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mansfield Town U18s (C) | 25 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 62 | 27 | +35 | 54 |
2 | Burton Albion U18s | 25 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 46 |
3 | Rotherham United U18s | 25 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 37 |
4 | Bradford City U18s | 25 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 48 | 47 | +1 | 37 |
5 | Hartlepool United U18s | 25 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 54 | 56 | −2 | 37 |
6 | Lincoln City U18s | 25 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 61 | 54 | +7 | 33 |
North-East Merit Lower Table Round
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Grimsby Town U18s (C) | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 52 | 29 | +23 | 40 |
2 | Harrogate Town U18s | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 35 |
3 | Doncaster Rovers U18s | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 30 |
4 | Notts County U18s | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 32 | 65 | −33 | 17 |
5 | Huddersfield Town U18s | 24 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 74 | −46 | 16 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "We're back! Our Academy regains Category One status". Reading F.C. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Premier League U18 table". Premier League. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Players – U18 Premier League – England – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "U18s Report: Stoke City 1–6 Leeds United". Leeds United F.C. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Report & Highlights: Young Eagles fire five past Saints in season opener". Crystal Palace F.C. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "U18s: Aston Villa 4–0 Tottenham Hotspur". Aston Villa F.C. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Fulham U18s 4–3 Leicester U18s". Fulham F.C. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Under-18s PL report: Aston Villa 1 Chelsea 5". Chelsea F.C. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "City U18s kickstart campaign with six-hit win over Blackburn Rovers". Manchester City F.C. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b "AFC Bournemouth awarded category 2 status". vitalfootball.co.uk. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Football League Youth Alliance". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 October 2024.