Premier Academy League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Countries |  England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Divisions | 4 |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Relegation to | Football League Youth Alliance |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Youth Cup |
| Current champions | Aston Villa U18s (2007–08) |
 2008–09 season |
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The Premier Academy League is the top level of youth football in England. It is contested between the Academy sides of Premier League and Football League clubs. It sits above the second tier of youth football, the Football League Youth Alliance, which is for Football League clubs with Centres of Excellence.
Contents |
[edit] History
The league was founded as the FA Premier Youth League in 1997, replacing regionally-based youth leagues such as the South East Counties League as the top level of youth football. Clubs fielded Under-18 teams, with up to three Under-19 players allowed per match. 16 teams were split into Northern and Southern conferences of 8 teams each; teams played others within their own conference twice and teams from the other conference once. At the end of the season all the teams were paired into rounds of play-offs played over two legs in a knockout system. The inaugural winners were Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
The competition was revamped in 1998 with the introduction of the Football Association's Academy system and renamed the FA Premier Academy League. The competition was divided into Under-19 and Under-17 sections, and more teams were admitted - 32 in total, split into four conferences (two Southern, two Northern) of eight teams each. Teams played those within their own conference twice and the team from the other conference in their region once, again with play-offs between all teams at the end.
The U19 competition was expanded to 40 teams in five groups of 8 in 1999-00, before being reorganised into four groups of ten in 2000-01. The play-off format was revamped in 2003-04, with only the four group winners proceeding to the play-offs.
The league was reorganised yet again in 2004-05 season, with the league being reformed as a single Under-18 competition (players are aged under 18 on the preceding 31st August), with up to 3 Under-19 outfield players and 1 Under-19 goalkeeper allowed per team per match. Teams also compete at an Under-16 level in identically formed groups, but these are played as friendlies – no league table is maintained and no play-offs are contested. This format has remained to the present day.
[edit] Current participants
- See Premier Academy League 2008-09 for the 2008-09 season ongoing league tables.
The participants for the 2008-09 season in the Under-18 League are:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
[edit] Current structure
All teams play each other in the group twice and play 10 inter-group fixtures, producing 28 games a season.
[edit] Past winners
| FA Premier Youth League (Under-18) | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-98 | Arsenal U18s | [1] | |
| FA Premier Academy League | |||
| Under-19 | Under-17 | ||
| 1998-99 | West Ham United U19s | Blackburn Rovers U17s | [2] [3] |
| 1999-00 | West Ham United U19s | Arsenal U17s | [2] [1] |
| 2000-01 | Nottingham Forest U19s | Ipswich Town U17s | [4] [5] |
| 2001-02 | Arsenal U19s | Newcastle United U17s | [1] [6] |
| 2002-03 | Blackburn Rovers U19s | Leeds United U17s | [7] [8] |
| 2003-04 | Southampton U19s | Aston Villa U17s | [9] [10] |
| Premier Academy League (Under-18) | |||
| 2004-05 | Blackburn Rovers U18s | [11] | |
| 2005-06 | Southampton U18s | [12] | |
| 2006-07 | Leicester City U18s | [13] | |
| 2007-08 | Aston Villa U18s | [14] | |
| 2008-09 | |||
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Arsenal Club Honours". Arsenal.com. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ a b "West Ham United Statistics". westhamstats.info. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "FA Premier Academy League play-off final". This Is Lancashire (19 May 1999). Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Players H - Paul Hart". Bridport Red. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Academy Roll of Honour". BluesWeb. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Newcastle United PLC Preliminary Results Summary". Newcastle United Official Website (2002-10-08). Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Academy boys top of class". This Is Lancashire (2003-05-14). Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Leeds United News - May 2003". leedfans.org.uk. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Academy Who's Who". SaintsFC.co.uk. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Everton U17s, 2003-04: Everton 1 - 1 Aston Villa". ToffeeWeb. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Under 18 Academy Team 2004/05". FONCY. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Under-18 Academy Team 2005/06". FONCY. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Under-18 Academy Team 2006/07". FONCY. Retrieved on 7 November, 2006.
- ^ "Under-18 Academy Team 2007/08". avfc.co.uk. Retrieved on 4 May, 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Premier Academy League seasons
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Reserve and Youth football in England
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