Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy
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Sunderland A.F.C. Academy is the collective name for the youth development squads of
Sunderland Association Football Club Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club has won six t ...
, primarily the U18 and U21 teams. Sunderland have an 'Elite' Category 1
football academy In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
based on the
Elite Player Performance Plan The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by th ...
and their teams are members of the Professional Development League. Sunderland's academy is based at the Academy of Light in
Cleadon Cleadon is a suburban village in South Tyneside in the North East of England. Prior to the creation of Tyne and Wear in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, the village was part of the historic County Durham. In the 2011 UK Census the pop ...
,
South Tyneside South Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is bordered by all four other boroughs in Tyne and Wear – Gateshead to the west, Sunderland in the south, North Tyneside to the no ...
. Sunderland academy teams play at the
Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground (often shortened to ''Eppleton CW'') is a football ground located in Hetton-le-Hole in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. It was created as part of the miners' welfare in order to provide recreational faciliti ...
, in
Hetton-le-Hole Hetton-le-Hole is a town situated in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the historic county of Durham. A182 runs through the town, between Houghton-le-Spring and Easington Lane (the latter borders the County Durham Distr ...
(U21s) or at the Academy of Light (U18s). At least three U21 games per season are played at Stadium of Light as per the rules of the Professional Development League. Numerous notable professional players have graduated from Sunderland's youth system over the years. In recent seasons,
Jordan Henderson Jordan Brian Henderson (born 17 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool and the England national team. Henderson joined the Sunderland Academy at the age of eight, making his first-team ...
and Jordan Pickford have both represented
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at senior international level. and Lynden Gooch has been capped for the
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.


History

While second-string teams date back to the earliest years of the club, as the senior team gained entry to the Football League, they began to submit a
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
in competitive competitions under the name Sunderland 'A'. The A team enlisted in both the
Durham Challenge Cup The Durham County Challenge Cup (commonly known as the Durham Challenge Cup) is an annual football competition held between the clubs of the Durham County Football Association which was first played in 1884. It is the senior county cup for the ...
and the Northern Football Alliance in 1890.


Leagues

The 'A' team won the inaugural Alliance in 1891 and dominated the early years of the league, winning five out of the first six seasons. They competed in the Alliance until 1902. In 1906 they joined the new
North Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although so ...
along with reserve teams from Newcastle United,
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. ...
. Sunderland finished second to Newcastle United 'A' in their first two seasons, and won the league for the first time in 1925. Sunderland went on to win it a further nine times, second only to Middlesbrough. The North East's league teams withdrew their reserve teams from the North Eastern League in 1958. Sunderland and Middlesbrough both joined the North Regional League. Sunderland won it once and came second three times before the league disbanded in 1969. Sunderland bid to join
The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...
in 1970, but were unsuccessful after only receiving four votes. Sunderland Reserves played a single season in the
Wearside Football League The Wearside Football League is a non-league football competition based in northern England. It consists of three divisions which sits at steps 7 to 9 (or levels 11 to 13) of the National League System and is a feeder to the Northern League Divi ...
in 1979–80, before joining
The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...
in 1983. Sunderland won the Central League once, in the 1998–99 season under the management of
Adrian Heath Adrian Paul Heath (born 11 January 1961) is an English football manager and former player. He currently serves as head coach of Major League Soccer club Minnesota United FC. As a player, he is best known for his six seasons at Everton, where h ...
. It was their final season in a competition that was then called the ''Pontins League Championship''. In that season, a crowd of 33,513 at the Stadium of Light watched Sunderland Reserves beat
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
1-0 - an all-time record attendance for the Central League.In 1997, Sunderland joined the ''FA Premier Youth League,'' for the U18s teams of
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. Sunderland finished second in the North section. A year later, the league was renamed the
FA Premier Academy League The Premier Academy League (sometimes abbreviated as FAPAL) was the top level of youth football in England before it was to be replaced by a new league proposed by the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012, which was accepted by the 72 member ...
, was split into U19s and U17s divisions, and expanded to include selected academies from Football League teams. Sunderland fielded teams in all six seasons of this incarnation. In 2004, the league was restructured again, renamed the ''Premier Academy League'', and reset to U18s only. Sunderland's best performance was in 2006–07 - they won group D, beat Manchester City in the Play-Off Semi-Final, but lost on penalties to
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
in the final. The Sunderland side included
Jordan Henderson Jordan Brian Henderson (born 17 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool and the England national team. Henderson joined the Sunderland Academy at the age of eight, making his first-team ...
, Jack Colback and Martyn Waghorn. Meanwhile, in 1999, Sunderland left the Central League as Champions and joined the newly formed Premier Reserve League aimed at U21 / Reserve teams of Premier League teams. They went on to win the Northern section in 2002–03, and again in 2008–09. By 2009, the winners of the North and South sections had a play-off to determine a 'National Champion'; Sunderland lost the final to Aston Villa.


Cups

Sunderland 'A' won the Durham Challenge Cup for the first time in 1894. They went on to dominate the cup in the 1900s, winning it six out of seven seasons. They remain the most successful team in the competition, having won it 21 times in total. Sunderland continue to field a team in the competition. In 1952, the FA Youth Cup was formed, aimed at offering competitive games for youth players unable to break into senior teams. Sunderland had success in the competition in the 1960s, losing to Arsenal in the 1966 final, before beating
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
in the final the following year, and
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
in the 1969 final. The 1967 team included Billy Hughes and the 1969 team included Richie Pitt, both of whom would go on to play for the senior team in the 1973 FA Cup Final. In 1996, the Central League Cup was introduced to give U21 teams a cup competition in parallel to the FA Youth Cup. Sunderland won the cup twice, in 2009 and 2011, before switching to the Premier League Cup in 2013.


Academy Formation

In 2002, the Academy of Light was completed and inauguration took place with England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. The Academy was a state-of-the-art £15m facility in South Tyneside, which doubled as the training location for the senior team. It opened officially the following year. The centre was designed to comply with UEFA five-star academy status. In 2003, Kees Zwamborn was hired as Academy director. Zwamborn had been youth director at
AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
, a club acclaimed for its youth development. He lasted just 14 months in the role, as Sunderland underwent a period of turmoil on and off the field. He was replaced with Ged McNamee. who remained in the role until 2016.


Post EPPP Restructuring

The
Elite Player Performance Plan The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is a youth development scheme initiated by the Premier League. The intention of the EPPP is to improve the quality and quantity of home-grown players produced by top English clubs. Measures introduced by th ...
(EPPP) was introduced in 2011 and restructured the way youth development operated in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Academies were graded into tiers, based on a variety of factors, including the quality of the facilities available. Category 1 (Elite) was the highest rating. Academy teams would play against teams in the same academy category. Sunderland were awarded Category 1 status. Sunderland's Category 1 status allowed them to join the inaugural ''U21 Premier League'' and ''U18 Premier League'' seasons in 2012–13. Sunderland's best finish in the U21 Premier League was in 2015–16 when they finished runner-up to Manchester United. Their success in that season meant they qualified for the Premier League International Cup. They competed in 2016–17, beating U21 teams from
S.L. Benfica Sport Lisboa e Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28 February 1904 as ''Sport Lisboa'', Be ...
,
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...
, Athletic Bilbao and
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on their way to the final. They faced FC Porto at the Stadium of Light, losing 5–0 in front of a crowd of over 18,000. Sunderland's best U18 Premier League finish was in 2015–16 when they finished fifth. In 2016–17, the U21 Premier League was rebranded ''Premier League 2'', and was widened to U23 level. A second division was added, with
Promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...
between the two. Sunderland finished seventh in the first season of the Premier League 2, but finished second bottom (ahead of Manchester United) in the 2017–18 season, and were relegated to Division 2.


Sunderland A.F.C. Under 21s

Previously called Sunderland 'A', Sunderland II, Sunderland Reserves and Sunderland U23s, the Sunderland U21 team is the second team of Sunderland A.F.C. and the most senior team in the club's academy system. U21 matchday squads may include up to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21; this may include players from the senior team in need of game time. Sunderland U21s play in Division 2 of the Premier League 2 following relegation from Division 1 in the 2017–18 season. They finished fifth in the 2020–21 season, beat Stoke City in the play-off semi-final, but lost on penalties to
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in the final after a 0-0 draw. They represent Sunderland in the
Durham Challenge Cup The Durham County Challenge Cup (commonly known as the Durham Challenge Cup) is an annual football competition held between the clubs of the Durham County Football Association which was first played in 1884. It is the senior county cup for the ...
, a competition that the club (originally as the senior team, but from 1894-onwards as the reserve team) have won a record 21 times. They shared the trophy with Spennymoor Town in 2020 after the final was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. It was the first victory in the trophy for Sunderland as the previously called U23's. They also take part in the Premier League Cup, though have yet to progress beyond the Round-of-16 stage. Sunderland U21s (effectively the previously called U23s team) also took part in two seasons of the EFL Trophy against senior professional teams from the bottom two divisions of the
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
. In the 2016–17 competition, Sunderland qualified from their group after victories over
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded i ...
and
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
but were beaten in the first knockout stage by the academy of
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
. In the 2017–18 competition, Sunderland failed to qualify from their group. They were unable to take part in the 2018–19 competition as the senior team were competing in the competition for the first time after relegation to EFL League One. Following the promotion of the senior team via the League One Play-off to the EFL Championship the format was changed from U23s to U21s and now allows U21s matchday squads to include up to five outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 21; this may include players from the senior team in need of game time.


Current squad


Honours

* Northern Football Alliance (5) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland 'A: 1891, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896 *
Durham Challenge Cup The Durham County Challenge Cup (commonly known as the Durham Challenge Cup) is an annual football competition held between the clubs of the Durham County Football Association which was first played in 1884. It is the senior county cup for the ...
(18) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland 'A: 1894, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1928, 1929 **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland Reserves'': 1966, 2008 **''Winners as Sunderland U23s'': 2020 *
North Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although so ...
(9) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland 'A: 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937 **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland II:'' 1948, 1953 * North Regional League (1) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland Reserves'':1969 *
The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...
(1) **''Winners as Sunderland Reserves:'' 1999 * Premier Reserve League Northern Division (2) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland Reserves:'' 2003, 2009 * Central League Cup (2) **''Winners as'' ''Sunderland Reserves'':'':'' 2009, 2011 Post EPPP: *
U21 Premier League The Professional Development League is a system of youth association football, football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the The Football Association, Footbal ...
**''Runner-up:''
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
* Premier League International Cup: **''Runner-up:'' 2017


Sunderland A.F.C. Under 18s

Previously called Sunderland Youths, Sunderland U17s and Sunderland U19s, the Sunderland U18s team is the third team of Sunderland A.F.C. and the club's senior
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future i ...
. Dating back to the 1950s, the team consists of players beyond school-age on youth contracts. Youth players can be promoted into the U21 or senior teams, but due to EPPP rules, will still remain on youth contracts. Sunderland U18s play in the Category 1 North section of U18 Premier League. They finished bottom of the league in the 2020-21 season. They also compete in the FA Youth Cup, a competition Sunderland have won twice. They play their home games at the Academy of Light.


Current squad


Honours

* FA Youth Cup (2) **''Winners'': 1967, 1969 ** ''Runner-up:'' 1966 *
Premier Academy League The Premier Academy League (sometimes abbreviated as FAPAL) was the top level of youth football in England before it was to be replaced by a new league proposed by the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012, which was accepted by the 72 member ...
** Runner-up: 2007


Notable Youth & Academy Graduates

Selected players who came through Sunderland youth system. ''1966 onwards'' * Stan Anderson * Jim McNab * Jimmy Montgomery * Billy Hughes *
Colin Todd Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, ...
* Richie Pitt * Dave Elliott *
Micky Horswill Michael Frederick Horswill (born 6 March 1953 in Annfield Plain, County Durham) is a former English professional footballer, who played for Sunderland, Manchester City, Plymouth Argyle, Hull City, Happy Valley of Hong Kong and Carlisle United ...
* Gary Rowell * Kevin Arnott *
Gordon Chisholm Gordon William Chisholm (born 8 April 1960 in Glasgow) is a Scottish professional football former player and manager. Chisholm played as a central defender for Sunderland, Hibernian, Dundee and Partick Thistle. After retiring as a player, ...
*
Colin West Colin West (born 13 November 1962) is an English former footballer who is now the assistant manager at club Hartlepool United. He played as a forward and scored 158 goals in 555 league and cup games in the English Football League, Conference ...
* Nick Pickering *
Barry Venison Barry Venison (born 16 August 1964) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and sports television pundit. As a player was a defender from 1981 to 1997. He played for Sunderland, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Galatasaray and ...
*
John Cornforth Sir John Warcup Cornforth Jr., (7 September 1917 – 8 December 2013) was an AustralianBritish chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalysed reactions, becoming the only Nobel l ...
* Barry Richardson * Gordon Armstrong *
Gary Owers Gary Owers (born 3 October 1968) is an English former professional footballer, and football manager. He most recently managed Torquay United. He was previously manager of Bath City and Forest Green Rovers as well as the assistant manager at Al ...
* Brian Atkinson *
Kieron Brady Kieron Brady (born 17 September 1971) is a former professional association football, footballer who played for Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland and Doncaster Rovers F.C., Doncaster Rovers. Born in Scotland, he made four appearances for the Republic ...
* Michael Gray * David Preece *
Paul Heckingbottom Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977) is an English football coach and former player who is currently manager of Championship side Sheffield United. Heckingbottom played as a defender for several English clubs, including Sunderland, Scarbor ...
* Darren Holloway * Michael Bridges * Paul Thirlwell * Michael Proctor * Brendan McGill * Thomas Butler * Kevin Kyle *
George McCartney George McCartney (born 29 April 1981) is a Northern Irish former footballer who is currently a coach at Linfield. He began his career at Sunderland in 1998 before having two spells each with West Ham United and Leeds United. He won the 2004–0 ...
* Gerard Williams * Cliff Byrne * Chris Brown * Richie Ryan * Lee Robinson * Grant Leadbitter *
Ben Alnwick Benjamin Robert Alnwick (born 1 January 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Currently unattached, he last played for EFL League 1 team Bolton Wanderers. Alnwick started his career at Sunderland in 2004, having ...
* Peter Hartley * Jack Colback *
Jordan Cook Jordan Alan Cook (born 20 March 1990) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He began his career with Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland and played ...
* Martyn Waghorn *
Jordan Henderson Jordan Brian Henderson (born 17 June 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool and the England national team. Henderson joined the Sunderland Academy at the age of eight, making his first-team ...
* Ryan Noble * Conor Hourihane * Blair Adams * Liam Noble * John Egan * Louis Laing *
Jak Alnwick Jak Alnwick (born 17 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Cardiff City. He turned professional at Newcastle United in 2008, and went on to represent England at under-17 and under-18 levels. He s ...
* Mikael Mandron * George Honeyman * Jordan Pickford * Lynden Gooch * Ethan Robson *
Josh Maja Joshua Erowoli Orisunmihare Oluwaseun Maja (born 27 December 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Bordeaux. Born in England, he played one match for the Nigeria national team in 2019. Maja played youth football ...
*
Joel Asoro Joel Joshghene Asoro (born 27 April 1999) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Djurgårdens IF. Club career Early career Asoro started his career in his local club IFK Haninge in a southern Stockholm suburb. When h ...
* Bali Mumba * Andrew Nelson * Tom Beadling * Michael Ledger * Luke Molyneux * Max Stryjek


Notes

:A. : Trophy was shared with Spennymoor Town after the final was cancelled due to the COVID 19 Pandemic.


References

{{Coord, 54.9433, -1.3933, region:GB-ENG, format=dms, display=title Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Premier League International Cup