Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy


Liverpool F.C. Under-21s is the reserve & senior youth team of Liverpool F.C. It is the most senior level of the Liverpool academy beneath the first team. In the summer of 2012, the whole English reserve football system was overhauled and replaced with an Under-21 league system, the Professional Development League. Liverpool's reserve team became the Liverpool under-21 team and competes in the Professional Development League 1 which is also known by its sponsorship name of Barclays Under-21 Premier League and Premier League 2. The team generally consists of Under-21 players at the club but at times senior players also play for the reserves when they are recuperating from injury. Following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season, only three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21 can play for the reserves regularly.
Liverpool F.C. Academy is the youth set up Liverpool Football Club. It trains players from the U6 age group up to the U21 squad. The academy has separate head coaches in charge of development in the U6-U9, U10-U11, U12-U14 and U15-U16 age groups. At U21 and U18 level there are dedicated coaching teams managed by Michael Beale with the U21 position vacant as of 2 March 2020. Alex Inglethorpe was promoted from U21 manager to Academy Director in the summer of 2014 and holds overall responsibility for operation of the academy. The academy has won the FA Youth Cup, a competition for players of age 15 to 18, four times in 1996, 2006, 2007 and 2019.
Liverpool F.C. Academy is considered to be one of the most productive football academies of the richer clubs both in England and in the world. Various current and past Liverpool players have graduated through the academy, including Billy Liddell, Ronnie Moran, Ian Callaghan, Phil Thompson, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Trent Alexander-Arnold, among many others.

Reserve team (Under-21s)

Liverpool Under-21s played in Premier League 2. The Reserves won the regional division title in 2000 and again 2008 winning also the national league that year. It competed in the Lancashire Combination from 1896 to 1911, with the exception of the 1898–99 season, in which it joined The Combination. From 1911 on, it took part in the Central League until becoming inaugural members of the Premier Reserve League North in 1999. The team also participated in the Liverpool Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup; the last time it took part in them was the 2009–10 season when it also won both competitions.
The last reserve team manager was Rodolfo Borrell, who was appointed in July 2011 and led the reserve team during its final season before taking over the newly formed under-21 side in July 2012. The reserves last played their home games at Prenton Park ; in previous seasons the team has also played at the club's academy, the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Haig Avenue, Totally Wicked Stadium and the Racecourse Ground.
The most successful Liverpool Reserves manager was Roy Evans. Evans spent most of his playing career as a reserve team player, making only 11 appearances for the first team. After an injury ended his career in 1974, he was appointed manager of the reserves by Bob Paisley. Evans subsequently led the reserves to victory in a series of Central League championships, including three in his first three seasons, a four in a row sequence from 1978, and two more in the early 1980s. Throughout the history of Liverpool FC, many of the club's best known players have progressed through the reserve team. These include people who at one point were first team squad members including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, Jamie Carragher and Raheem Sterling.

The Academy

In 1998, a new state-of-the-art Youth Academy was opened in Kirkby, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It replaced the older, more informal youth system, and enables the club to focus their youth development and scouting, employing new techniques and FA standards.
Scouts attend many local youth matches looking for talented boys. A boy will then be invited to attend training sessions at the Academy. They are currently taken in as young as the age of six. Former England International player Jamie Carragher started at Liverpool when he was aged just nine, with Michael Owen joining at eleven, and Steven Gerrard joining at the age of eight.
On the walls of the indoor centre hang the words 'Technique', 'Attitude', 'Balance', and 'Speed'. 'TABS' is the key word preached at The Academy. Academy director Alex Inglethorpe has said the remit of the academy is to produce physically, technically, tactically and mentally elite players with enough quality to represent the senior side in the Champions League. Liverpool won the 2005 Champions league with two locally born academy graduates starting in the final.

Academy partnerships

The Academy has a long-lasting affiliation with MTK Budapest's Sándor Károly Football Academy and maintains a number of football schools worldwide through partnerships with football clubs and commercial and sports organisations. LFC International Football Academy currently has branches in Scandinavia, America, Egypt, South Africa, China, India, and Japan. Previously schools were also run in Abuja, Belfast, Boston, Charlotte, Cyprus, Dublin, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jakarta, Katwijk, Lisbon, Madrid, Malta, Mumbai, Manila, Nairobi, Saint Vincent, and Singapore.

Squad

''Players listed in bold have made at least one senior first-team appearance.''

Other players under contract

Out on loan

Staff

Current coaching and medical staff

  • Academy director: Alex Inglethorpe
  • Assistent Academy director: Nick Marshall
  • Education manager: Caitlin Hawkins
  • Academy player care manager: Marek Szmid
  • U21s manager: Rob Page
  • U21s and Academy goalkeeping coach: Mark Morris
  • U21s player-coach: Jay Spearing
  • U18s manager: Simon Wiles
  • U18 assistant manager: Anthony Ryan
  • U18s and Academy goalkeeping coach: Neil Edwards
  • Head Academy physiotherapist & U21s head physio: Paul Kelly
  • Performance coach: Yvie Ryan
  • U21 and loans physiotherapist: Tony Jones
  • U18 Education Officer: Ted Smith
  • U18 Lead physiotherapist: Phil Bolland
  • U18 assistant physiotherapist: Gregg Blundell
  • Academy kit manager: Aubrey Rogers
  • Head of pre-Academy recruitment: Steve Gorst
  • Pre-Academy co-ordinator: Ricky Heywood
  • Assistant Academy recruitment co-ordinator: Frederico Paciencia
  • Academy U16 head coach: Lewis Nightingale
  • Academy U13 head coach: Michael Yates
  • Academy U12 head coach: Phil Charnock
  • Academy U11 head coach: John Miles
  • Academy U10 head coach: Gephte Mbolokele
  • Academy U9 head coach: Josh Wesselby
  • Head of coaching for foundation stage: John Thompson
  • Assistant head of pre-Academy coach: Roy Smith
  • Goalkeeping coach: Ian Dunbavin
  • Lead pre-Academy coach: James Williams
  • Academy advanced coaching centre co-ordinator: Jon Newby
Source:
''In addition, the Academy employ staff from the first-team.''

Reserve team manager history

Liverpool Academy Players' Player of the Year

Players in bold are still playing for Liverpool.
SeasonNameNationalityPositionRef
2013–14Midfielder
2014–15Midfielder
2015–16Defender
2016–17Defender
2017–18Winger

Honours

Reserves

;;League Champions
  • The Central League: 16


  • Lancashire Combination: 2

;;Cup Winners
  • Liverpool Senior Cup: 40

  • Lancashire Senior Cup: 13

  • Liverpool Challenge Cup: 4

Youth

;;League Champions
  • Lancashire League Division One: 6

  • Lancashire League Division Two: 7

  • Lancashire League Division Three: 1

;;Cup Winners
  • FA Youth Cup: 4

  • Liverpool Youth Cup: 3


  • Lancashire Division Two League Cup: 5

  • Lancashire Division Three League Cup: 1

''*Asterisk denotes a shared title.''

Noted graduates

Established at Liverpool

Liverpool's youth system has only seen moderate success over the years; with only a few players who have come through it have gone on to feature in the first-team. The following players have gone on to play over ten competitive matches for the first team.
Pre-WW2
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s