This article will address in detail the issue of Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy, which has gained significant relevance today. Over the years, Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy has been the subject of numerous studies and research, which has allowed us to gain a greater understanding of its implications and applications in various contexts. From its origins to its evolution in contemporary society, Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy has aroused great interest and has generated a debate around its importance and impact in different areas. Through an exhaustive and rigorous analysis, the aim is to shed light on this topic and offer a comprehensive vision that can enrich the knowledge and understanding of Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy.
Full name | Reading Football Club (Under-23s & Academy) | ||
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Nickname(s) | The Royals | ||
Ground | Madejski Stadium, Bearwood Park | ||
Chairman | Sir John Madejski | ||
Manager | Michael Gilkes (Academy) Vacant, (Under-23s) Mikele Leigertwood (Under-18s) | ||
League | U23 – Professional Development League U18 – U18 Professional Development League | ||
2021–22 | U23s – 14th U18s – 11th | ||
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The Reading Academy refers to the development teams of Reading Football Club. The club takes part in the Professional Development League system, with the Under-23 competing in the Premier League 2 – Division 2, and the Under-18 competing in the U18 Premier League – South Division.
Under the old youth training scheme, the club produced a number of first team players including Ady Williams, Scott Taylor and future England international Neil Webb. Since the Academy opened in 1999, 75 graduates have gone on to play first team football for Reading including Gylfi Sigurðsson, who was later sold for a club record transfer fee.
Reading were granted Academy status by the Football Association in February 1999. The first Academy manager was John Stephenson who oversaw the club's youth development until October 2000 when he left to join Preston North End. He was succeeded by former Reading goalkeeper, and the then goalkeeping coach, Nick Hammond. After his appointment as Reading's first Director of football in September 2003, Hammond combined all three roles until the appointment of Exeter City boss Eamonn Dolan as the new Academy manager in October 2004. The club originally trained in rented facilities at Sonning Lane and Bradfield College but moved to their own training ground at Hogwood Park in Arborfield in 2004. A two-year Academy partnership with Boreham Wood was announced in July 2012 with the club also aiming to have a first-team composed of 50% Academy players. The introduction in 2012 of the four-tier academy system under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) forced the club to search for a new training ground in order to meet the criteria for Category One status. With this in mind, the club agreed in principle to buy land at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club for a new training facility at a cost of between £10 million and £20 million in May 2013. In July 2013, the club confirmed they had achieved Category One status.
The Reading reserves competed in the Capital League between 1995 and 1998 before joining The Football Combination which they played in from 1998 until 2006, excluding the 1999–2000 season. With the senior side's promotion to the Premier League in 2006, the reserve team was also promoted to the Premier Reserve League for the 2006–07 season. Under future first-team manager Brian McDermott, the reserves finished top of the Southern section and beat Bolton reserves 2–0 to win the overall title in their first season. They finished second the following year but were relegated as the first team dropped into the Championship. The reserves rejoined the Football Combination following their relegation and remained there until 2010 when they withdrew in order to arrange their own fixtures against a higher level of opposition.
With the club's application for Category One status under the EPPP, the under-21 and Academy (under-18) teams competed in the new Professional Development League 1 for the 2012–13 season. The teams were successful under the new format with the under-18s finishing as runners-up to Fulham in the inaugural competition, and the under-21s winning the first U21 Premier League Cup the following year.
In July 2022, Reading confirmed that their Academy had lost its Category One status as a result of downsizing during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, and as a result the club the dropped out of the Premier League 2 Division 2 to the Professional Development League. The club also confirmed their intensions to return to a Category One Academy.
The under-23s play their home matches at Hogwood Park, the club's training ground, with four games each season being played at the Madejski Stadium. Three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 are allowed to be selected for each fixture, with scholars from the Academy squad also eligible to play.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Each year, following the completion of their full-time education, the club signs a number of schoolboys, from both within the academy and from other clubs, on scholarship agreements. The scholarships last two years after which the player signs professionally or is released by the club. In instances where a player is particularly valued, the club may opt to sign them on professional terms at an earlier age. The scholars make up the bulk of the Academy team which competes in the under-18 league, though younger players are also eligible. As well as the league, the Academy also enters a team into the FA Youth Cup.
The under-18s play their home matches at Hogwood Park, the club's training ground, with a selection of games each season being played at the Madejski Stadium. Three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 18 are allowed to be selected for each fixture, with scholars from the Academy squad also eligible to play.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Prior to the establishment of the Academy, Reading produced several players for the first-team who went on to have successful careers. Neil Webb became Reading's youngest ever goalscorer aged 17 years and 31 days and made a total of 81 appearances for the club, later going on to win 26 England caps. Ady Williams made nearly 400 appearances in three spells between 1988 and 2004 and was capped 13 times for Wales whilst Stuart Lovell made 227 league appearances, scored 58 times and played twice for the Australia national team. Others to have come through the ranks include Johnny Brooks, Jerry Williams, Steve Hetzke, Scott Taylor and Maurice Evans, who made over 400 league appearances for Reading and later managed the first-team between 1977 and 1984.
Since the Academy opened in 1999, 80 graduates have gone on to play for the first team. Players who have gone on to play for their country at full international level are marked in bold whilst those still at the club are marked in italics.
Player | Position | Age of debut | Reading | International | U21/U23 International | ||||||||
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Reading Career | Manager | Debut date | Apps | Goals | Country | Apps | Goals | Country | Apps | Goals | |||
Alex Haddow | Midfielder | 17 years, 228 days | 1999–2001 | Tommy Burns | 24 August 1999 | 4 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Darius Henderson | Striker | 18 years, 193 days | 1999–2004 | Alan Pardew | 18 March 2000 | 83 | 15 | – | – | ||||
Nathan Tyson | Midfielder | 17 years, 361 days | 1999–2004 | Alan Pardew | 29 April 2000 | 38 | 1 | – | – | ||||
Jamie Ashdown | Goalkeeper | 19 years, 287 days | 1998–2004 | Alan Pardew | 12 September 2000 | 16 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Darren Campbell | Midfielder | 17 years, 14 days | 2003–2005 | Alan Pardew | 30 April 2003 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Peter Castle | Defender | 16 years, 49 days | 2003–2006 | Alan Pardew | 30 April 2003 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Jamie Young | Goalkeeper | 18 years, 201 days | 2003–2006 | Steve Coppell | 13 March 2004 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Simon Cox | Striker | 18 years, 145 days | 2005–2008; 2014–2016 | Steve Coppell | 20 September 2005 | 69 | 9 | Republic of Ireland | 30 | 4 | – | ||
Shane Long | Striker | 18 years, 340 days | 2005–2011 2022–2023 |
Steve Coppell | 28 December 2005 | 235 | 56 | Republic of Ireland | 88 | 17 | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 0 |
Curtis Osano | Midfielder | 18 years, 315 days | 2005–2008 | Steve Coppell | 17 January 2006 | 2 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Alex Pearce | Defender | 18 years, 61 days | 2006–2015 | Steve Coppell | 9 January 2007 | 240 | 15 | Republic of Ireland | 7 | 2 | Scotland | 2 | 0 |
James Henry | Midfielder | 18 years, 107 days | 2006–2010 | Steve Coppell | 25 September 2007 | 18 | 4 | – | – | ||||
Julian Kelly | Defender | 18 years, 341 days | 2008–2011 | Steve Coppell | 12 August 2008 | 13 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Jem Karacan | Midfielder | 19 years, 187 days | 2007–2015 | Steve Coppell | 26 August 2008 | 175 | 12 | – | Turkey | 3 | 0 | ||
Gylfi Sigurðsson | Midfielder | 18 years, 353 days | 2008–2010 | Steve Coppell | 26 August 2008 | 51 | 22 | Iceland | 78 | 25 | Iceland | 14 | 6 |
Simon Church | Striker | 20 years, 153 days | 2007–2013 | Steve Coppell | 12 May 2009 | 122 | 24 | Wales | 38 | 3 | Wales | 15 | 8 |
Scott Davies | Midfielder | 21 years, 151 days | 2006–2011 | Brendan Rodgers | 8 August 2009 | 5 | 0 | – | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | ||
Hal Robson-Kanu | Midfielder | 20 years, 79 days | 2007–2016 | Brendan Rodgers | 8 August 2009 | 228 | 30 | Wales | 46 | 5 | Wales | 4 | 2 |
Nicholas Bignall | Striker | 19 years, 31 days | 2008–2013 | Brendan Rodgers | 11 August 2009 | 4 | 2 | – | – | ||||
Ben Hamer | Goalkeeper | 21 years, 264 days | 2006–2011 | Brendan Rodgers | 11 August 2009 | 5 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Jordan Obita | Defender | 16 years, 246 days | 2010–2020 | Brian McDermott | 11 August 2010 | 191 | 7 | – | – | ||||
Jake Taylor | Midfielder | 18 years, 266 days | 2009–2016 | Brian McDermott | 24 August 2010 | 36 | 3 | Wales | 1 | 0 | Wales | 10 | 0 |
Alex McCarthy | Goalkeeper | 21 years, 78 days | 2007–2014 | Brian McDermott | 19 February 2011 | 75 | 0 | England | 1 | 0 | England | 3 | 0 |
Lawson D'Ath | Midfielder | 19 years, 14 days | 2010–2014 | Brian McDermott | 7 January 2012 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Dominic Samuel | Striker | 18 years, 254 days | 2012–2017 | Brian McDermott | 11 December 2012 | 15 | 2 | – | – | ||||
Michael Hector | Defender | 21 years, 183 days | 2009–2015, 2015-16 | Nigel Adkins | 18 January 2014 | 93 | 5 | Jamaica | 39 | 0 | – | ||
Ryan Edwards | Midfielder | 20 years, 265 days | 2012–2015 | Nigel Adkins | 9 August 2014 | 10 | 0 | – | Australia | 18 | 0 | ||
Craig Tanner | Striker | 19 years, 289 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | 12 August 2014 | 5 | 1 | – | – | ||||
Jake Cooper | Defender | 19 years, 194 days | 2014–2017 | Nigel Adkins | 16 August 2014 | 56 | 4 | – | – | ||||
Jack Stacey | Midfielder | 18 years, 132 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | 16 August 2014 | 6 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Aaron Kuhl | Midfielder | 18 years, 201 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | 19 August 2014 | 8 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Aaron Tshibola | Midfielder | 19 years, 233 days | 2013–2016 | Nigel Adkins | 23 August 2014 | 17 | 0 | DR Congo | 15 | 1 | – | ||
Sean Long | Defender | 19 years, 116 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | 26 August 2014 | 1 | 0 | – | Republic of Ireland | 11 | 1 | ||
Mikkel Andersen | Goalkeeper | 25 years, 277 days | 2007–2015 | Nigel Adkins | 20 September 2014 | 5 | 0 | – | Denmark | 14 | 0 | ||
Niall Keown | Defender | 19 years, 339 days | 2013–2017 | Steve Clarke | 10 March 2015 | 3 | 0 | – | Republic of Ireland | 2 | 0 | ||
Andrija Novakovich | Striker | 18 years, 171 days | 2015–2019 | Steve Clarke | 14 March 2015 | 3 | 0 | United States | 3 | 0 | – | ||
Tariqe Fosu | Midfielder | 19 years, 178 days | 2014–2017 | Steve Clarke | 2 May 2015 | 1 | 0 | Ghana | 4 | 1 | - | ||
Josh Barrett | Midfielder | 17 years, 261 days | 2015–2020 | Brian McDermott | 8 March 2016 | 13 | 2 | – | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | ||
Robert Dickie | Defender | 20 years, 65 days | 2014–2018 | Brian McDermott | 7 May 2016 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Tennai Watson | Defender | 19 years, 155 days | 2015–2021 | Jaap Stam | 6 August 2016 | 9 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Liam Kelly | Midfielder | 20 years, 275 days | 2013–2019 | Jaap Stam | 23 August 2016 | 94 | 9 | – | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 0 | ||
Omar Richards | Defender | 19 years, 171 days | 2016–2021 | Jaap Stam | 5 August 2017 | 104 | 3 | – | England | 1 | 0 | ||
Axel Óskar Andrésson | Defender | 19 years, 193 days | 2016–2019 | Jaap Stam | 8 August 2017 | 2 | 0 | Iceland | 2 | 0 | Iceland | 18 | 3 |
Andy Rinomhota | Midfielder | 20 years, 109 days | 2015–2022 | Jaap Stam | 8 August 2017 | 139 | 4 | Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | – | ||
Sam Smith | Striker | 19 years, 153 days | 2015–2021 2023– |
Jaap Stam | 8 August 2017 | 48 | 18 | – | – | ||||
Danny Loader | Striker | 16 years, 359 days | 2017–2020 | Jaap Stam | 22 August 2017 | 35 | 2 | – | England | 9 | 1 | ||
Tom Holmes | Defender | 17 years, 359 days | 2017–2024 2024– |
Jaap Stam | 6 March 2018 | 133 | 1 | – | – | ||||
Tom McIntyre | Defender | 20 years, 39 days | 2016–2024 | Scott Marshall | 15 December 2018 | 117 | 7 | – | Scotland | 3 | 0 | ||
Gabriel Osho | Defender | 20 years, 130 days | 2016–2020 | Scott Marshall | 22 December 2018 | 10 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Ryan East | Midfielder | 20 years, 217 days | 2016–2021 | José Gomes | 12 March 2019 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Michael Olise | Midfielder | 17 years, 90 days | 2019–2021 | José Gomes | 12 March 2019 | 73 | 7 | – | France | 7 | 1 | ||
Teddy Howe | Defender | 20 years, 208 days | 2017–2020 | José Gomes | 5 May 2019 | 6 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Akin Odimayo | Defender | 19 years, 272 days | 2019–2020 | José Gomes | 27 August 2019 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Andre Burley | Defender | 20 years, 116 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | 4 January 2020 | 3 | 0 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 21 | 1 | – | ||
Ramarni Medford-Smith | Defender | 21 years, 75 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | 4 January 2020 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Jeriel Dorsett | Defender | 17 years, 255 days | 2019– | Mark Bowen | 14 January 2020 | 29 | 1 | Montserrat | 5 | 0 | – | ||
Ben House | Defender | 20 years, 204 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | 25 January 2020 | 1 | 0 | – | Scotland | 2 | 0 | ||
Luke Southwood | Goalkeeper | 22 years, 274 days | 2020–2023 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | 5 September 2020 | 30 | 0 | Northern Ireland | 1 | 0 | – | ||
Ethan Bristow | Defender | 18 years, 283 days | 2020–2022 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | 5 September 2020 | 11 | 0 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 | 0 | – | ||
Nahum Melvin-Lambert | Striker | 18 years, 283 days | 2020–2023 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | 5 September 2020 | 3 | 0 | Saint Lucia | 1 | 0 | – | ||
Dejan Tetek | Midfielder | 17 years, 357 days | 2020–2023 | Veljko Paunović | 15 September 2020 | 21 | 0 | – | Serbia | 5 | 0 | ||
Lynford Sackey | Striker | 17 years, 210 days | 2020–2022 | Veljko Paunović | 15 September 2020 | 2 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Nelson Abbey | Defender | 17 years, 18 days | 2020–2024 | Veljko Paunović | 15 September 2020 | 31 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Oliver Pendlebury | Midfielder | 18 years, 356 days | 2020–2021 | Veljko Paunović | 9 January 2021 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Conor Lawless | Midfielder | 19 years, 118 days | 2020–2021 | Veljko Paunović | 9 January 2021 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Mamadi Camará | Midfielder | 17 years, 9 days | 2020– | Veljko Paunović | 9 January 2021 | 23 | 1 | Guinea-Bissau | 5 | 0 | – | ||
Claudio Osorio | Midfielder | 18 years, 318 days | 2021–2023 | Veljko Paunović | 10 August 2021 | 2 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Kian Leavy | Midfielder | 19 years, 142 days | 2021–2023 | Veljko Paunović | 10 August 2021 | 2 | 0 | – | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 0 | ||
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan | Striker | 19 years, 109 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | 10 August 2021 | 57 | 13 | – | – | ||||
Michael Stickland | Defender | 18 years, 351 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | 10 August 2021 | 4 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Jahmari Clarke | Striker | 17 years, 358 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | 10 August 2021 | 14 | 2 | – | – | ||||
Tyrell Ashcroft | Defender | 19 years, 240 days | 2021–2022 | Marko Mitrović | 2 November 2021 | 4 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Louie Holzman | Defender | 18 years, 53 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | 8 January 2022 | 2 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Kelvin Abrefa | Defender | 18 years, 65 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | 12 February 2022 | 26 | 1 | – | – | ||||
Basil Tuma | Forward | 17 years, 107 days | 2022– | Paul Ince | 9 August 2022 | 5 | 0 | – | Malta | 3 | 0 | ||
Coniah Boyce-Clarke | Forward | 20 years, 68 days | 2019– | Noel Hunt | 8 May 2023 | 4 | 0 | Jamaica | 1 | 0 | – | ||
Jack Senga | Forward | 19 years, 101 days | 2021– | Noel Hunt | 8 May 2023 | 2 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Caylan Vickers | Forward | 18 years, 226 days | 2023–2024 | Rubén Sellés | 5 August 2023 | 22 | 3 | – | – | ||||
Taylan Harris | Midfielder | 17 years, 324 days | 2023–2024 | Rubén Sellés | 19 September 2023 | 1 | 1 | – | – | ||||
Tom Norcott | Goalkeeper | 18 years, 280 days | 2023– | Rubén Sellés | 10 October 2023 | 1 | 0 | – | – | ||||
Totals | 80 Players | 2,915 | 287 | 21 Players | 386 | 59 | 24 Players | 153 | 22 |
A number of players attached to the Academy as schoolboys and scholars, as well as those who signed professionally but never made a first team appearance, have gone on play league football elsewhere. Those that have gone on to play for their country at full international level are marked in bold and those who made their league debut whilst away on loan are marked in Italics.
Several Academy graduates hold club records. Peter Castle became the club's youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against Watford on 30 April 2003 for his first and only Reading appearance, aged 16 years and 49 days, whilst Gylfi Sigurðsson holds the record for the highest transfer fee received when he moved to Hoffenheim in August 2010. In May 2013 Alex McCarthy became the first Reading graduate to be selected in the England squad since the Academy era began in 1999. Additionally, three graduates have been named Player of the Season with Gylfi Sigurðsson, Alex Pearce and Jordan Obita winning in 2009–10, 2011–12 and 2013–14 respectively.