Ground Capacity 7,000 (5,000 seated) Arena/Stadium Academy Stadium | Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak Manager Simon Davies | |
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Full name Manchester City Elite Development Squad Nickname(s) The Citizens, City, The Boy Blues Ground Academy Stadium
Sportcity, Manchester, England Location Manchester, United Kingdom League Professional Development League | ||
Manchester City is represented at Reserve level for football by the Elite Development Squad, also referred to as just the Elite Squad, or EDS, a predominantly 'Under-21' side that replaced the previous (more senior) Reserve team in a move to focus on youth development post-academy. The club is represented at the 'Under-18' level by the Manchester City Academy team.
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Elite Development Squad
The Elite Development Squad from season 2012–13 plays in the Under 21 Premier League and previously played in the Premier Reserve League North. Starting with the 2011–12 season, the EDS competed in the NextGen Series competition, a Champions League format tournament only open to a select group of 'Under-19' teams located in western Europe. The NextGen Series organisers invited the 16 teams competing in the inaugural season of this new competition based on which clubs were considered to have the best academies in Europe. The EDS will continue to play fixtures in both the Manchester Senior Cup and Lancashire Senior Cup plus several other matches and tournaments such as the Central League Cup.
Manchester City have fielded a reserve team since 1892, when the reserves played in the Lancashire Combination. The reserves were champions of the Lancashire Combination in 1901–02. The club left the Lancashire Combination in 1911 to join the Central League upon its formation. The City reserve team then played in the Central League until 2000, winning it on three occasions in the 1977–78, 1986–87 and 1999–2000 seasons. In 2006 the club re-entered the Central League – now the Pontin's League (West) – but this time in order to provide games for the 'Under-17' age group of players.
Home ground
The EDS currently play all of their home fixtures at the CFA Academy stadium in Manchester.
Squad numbers
The squad numbers depicted for the EDS players in this article are MCFC first team squad numbers - which means that these are the shirt numbers that the EDS players will wear if and when team-sheeted to play for the MCFC first team in either a friendly or competitive game. The MCFC official first team squad consists of about 40 players, which is why the EDS players' squad numbers start in the region of the high thirties.
The MCFC first team squad numbers are normally assigned and published in late July during the close season and they remain constant for the entire duration of the upcoming season (meaning that a squad number that is assigned to a player in the close season who subsequently wears that number in a competitive match, but who later leaves the club during that same season, will NOT be assigned to another player during the remainder of that season).
Current squad
As of 31 January 2016Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Academy
Manchester City's Academy is responsible for youth development at the club, with the goal of developing young players for the future. The academy is one of the most revered in the country and since its new incarnation in 1998 it has produced more professional players than any other Premier League club. To date, the club has produced 15 graduates who have received full international call-ups from their various countries; 14 that have represented their respective countries at the 'Under-21' or 'Under-20' level; 35 who have progressed on to become City first team players at some point; and more than 60 that are currently playing professional league football. Carrington is responsible for such graduates as Micah Richards, Michael Johnson, QPR's Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Fulham's Dickson Etuhu and Stoke City's Glenn Whelan and Stephen Ireland.
History
The club's first youth team was set up by Albert Alexander in the 1920s, known as the 'A' Team. From 1951 the 'A' team competed in the Lancashire League against reserve and youth teams of other clubs from North West England. From 1955 a second youth team, the 'B' team, typically comprising younger players than the 'A' team, competed in Division Two of the Lancashire League.
Youth football in England was restructured by the Football Association in 1997, with the introduction of the Academy system. Current International Youth Academy Director Jim Cassell joined from Oldham Athletic in July 1997 and was responsible for building Manchester City's youth structure, which gained Academy accreditation in 1998.
In its new incarnation, the 'A' and 'B' teams were replaced with 'Under-19' and 'Under-17' teams, which competed in the FA Premier Youth League. Since gaining FA approval the Academy has produced 35 first team players, 15 of whom have gained full international honours, including England internationals Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards and Joey Barton. The academy not only produces players for Manchester City but also players that have the talent to make the grade elsewhere, with players such as Glenn Whelan building a successful career at Sheffield Wednesday and now Stoke City and Dickson Etuhu similarly making his career at Fulham
Present day
Since the club was taken over in September 2008, with extra capital and increased ambitions the club looked to expand their successful academy further afield and City in the Community programme in Manchester. In 2010, the Platt Lane complex was upgraded to include new facilities, such as a gym, changing rooms, as well as office and seminar space The club also launched an instructional video website aimed at helping the new skills of prospective footballers
Squad numbers
The squad numbers (if any) depicted for the Academy players in this article are MCFC first team squad numbers - which means that these are the shirt numbers that the Academy players will wear if and when team-sheeted to play for the MCFC first team in either a friendly or competitive game.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.