2016–17 Professional U23 Development League
The 2016–17 Professional U23 Development League was the fifth season of the Professional Development League system, and the first since the age limit was raised from under-21 to under-23.
League 1
Premier League 2 was the fifth season of the competition since its introduction in 2012, and the first since being changed from an under-21 league to under-23.The league was split into two divisions, with teams allocated places in Division 1 or 2 based on their performance in the 2015–16 season.
At the end of the season, the team which finished top of Division 1 was crowned as overall champions, and the bottom two teams in Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2017–18 season.
Division 1
Table
Play-offs
Semifinals
----Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Division | |
| Libor Kozak | Aston Villa U23s | Newcastle United U23s | 4–0 | 29 08 2016 | Division 2 | |
| Donovan Wilson | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | Newcastle United U23s | 4–1 | 14 10 2016 | Division 2 | |
| Oumar Niasse | Everton U23s | Reading U23s | 3–6 | 17 10 2016 | Division 1 | |
| Stephen Humphrys | Fulham U23s | Middlesbrough U23s | 1–4 | 18 11 2016 | Division 2 | |
| Edward Nketiah | Arsenal U23s | Leicester City U23s | 3–0 | 28 11 2016 | Division 1 | |
| Toni Martínez | West Ham United U23s | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 0–4 | 19 12 2016 | Division 2 | |
| Oliver McBurnie | Swansea City U23s | Newcastle United U23s | 3–1 | 16 1 2017 | Division 2 | |
| Brahim Diaz | Manchester City EDS | Chelsea U23s | 3–4 | 18 2 2017 | Division 1 | |
| Mikael Soisalo | Middlesbrough U23s | Blackburn Rovers U23s | 4–1 | 13 3 2017 | Division 2 | |
| Yaya Sanogo | Arsenal U23s | Reading U23s | 2–5 | 10 4 2017 | Division 1 | |
| Josh Harrop | Manchester United U23s | Tottenham Hotspur U23s | 2–5 | 15 5 2017 | Division 1 |
;Note
– Home; – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
Awards
Player of the Year: Oliver McBurnieLeague 2
The Professional U23 Development League 2, also known as U23 PDL-2 is split into two regional divisions.Teams will play each team in their own division twice, and each team in the other division once, for a total of 28 games each.
At the end of the season, the teams finishing in the top two positions of both divisions will meet in the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion.
20 Teams competed this season, 1 fewer than last time.
Brentford withdrawing at the end of last season after they closed their academy meant Coventry City moved to the south division for an even distribution of 10 teams per division.
Knock-out stage
Semi-finals----
'''Final'''