2017–18 Professional U18 Development League

U18 Premier League

U18 Premier League
Season2017–18
ChampionsChelsea U18s (2nd Title)
Matches played265
Goals scored1,009 (3.81 per match)
Top goalscorerReo Griffiths Tottenham Hotspur U18s (26 goals)
Biggest home winTottenham Hotspur U18s 9–0 Arsenal U18s
(24 April 2018)
Biggest away winWest Bromwich Albion U18s 1–7 Everton U18s
(26 August 2017)
Highest scoringDerby County U18s 5–5 Wolverhampton Wanderers U18s
(18 November 2017)
Longest winning run7 Matches – Chelsea U18s
Longest unbeaten run12 Matches – Chelsea U18s
Longest winless run11 Matches – Blackburn Rovers U18s
Longest losing run11 Matches – Blackburn Rovers U18s

The 2017-18 Under-18 Premier League is the fifth campaign of the top tier of the Under-18 Development League. A total of 24 teams are split regionally into north and south leagues.The format was changed completely this season. Instead of playing in the merit group stage format, teams face their regional opponents both home and away before the top two face each other to determine the national champion. No teams were added this season. As a result, 22 games were played in both the North and South Divisions. Chelsea U18s are the defending champions.

North

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Manchester United U18s (C, Q) 22 15 3 4 65 33 +32 48 Qualification for the National Final
2 Manchester City U18s 22 13 3 6 58 34 +24 42
3 Liverpool U18s 22 11 5 6 50 35 +15 38
4 Stoke City U18s 22 11 4 7 49 34 +15 37
5 Everton U18s 22 11 4 7 51 41 +10 37
6 Derby County U18s 22 9 6 7 45 38 +7 33
7 Sunderland U18s 22 10 2 10 39 44 −5 32
8 West Bromwich Albion U18s 22 7 5 10 49 57 −8 26
9 Middlesbrough U18s 22 6 7 9 37 52 −15 25
10 Newcastle United U18s 22 6 6 10 37 48 −11 24
11 Wolverhampton Wanderers U18s 22 5 4 13 31 53 −22 19
12 Blackburn Rovers U18s 22 3 1 18 28 70 −42 10
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Premier League Under 18 Table
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

South

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Chelsea U18s (C, Q) 22 17 3 2 64 21 +43 54 Qualification for the National Final
2 Arsenal U18s 22 14 3 5 61 33 +28 45
3 Southampton U18s 22 13 3 6 38 25 +13 42
4 Tottenham Hotspur U18s 22 10 4 8 58 39 +19 34
5 Leicester City U18s 22 9 6 7 38 33 +5 33
6 Swansea City U18s 22 9 4 9 32 44 −12 31
7 Fulham U18s 22 8 6 8 40 33 +7 30
8 Brighton & Hove Albion U18s 22 6 6 10 36 43 −7 24
9 Aston Villa U18s 22 6 5 11 27 36 −9 23
10 West Ham United U18s 22 6 3 13 27 51 −24 21
11 Reading U18s 22 6 3 13 24 50 −26 21
12 Norwich City U18s 22 3 4 15 22 59 −37 13
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Premier League Under 18 Table
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

National Final

Manchester United U18s0–3Chelsea U18s
Report
Attendance: 1,303
Referee: Conor Brown

Professional Development League 2

U18 Professional Development League 2
Season2017–18
ChampionsCharlton Athletic U18s (3rd Title)
Matches played313
(310 RS, 3 PO)
Goals scored1,277 (4.08 per match)
(1,269 RS, 8 PO)
Top goalscorerSion Spence Cardiff City U18s (21 goals)
Biggest home winSheffield Wednesday U18s 8–0 Hull City U18s
(6 January 2019)
Cardiff City U18s 8–0 Sheffield United U18s
(28 March 2018)
Biggest away winHuddersfield Town U18s 1–10 Sheffield Wednesday U18s
(24 April 2018)
Highest scoringHuddersfield Town U18s 1–10 Sheffield Wednesday U18s
(24 April 2018)
Longest winning run8 Matches – Leeds United U18s (17 March 2018 – 21 April 2018)
Longest unbeaten run11 Matches – Crystal Palace U18s (10 February 2018 – 28 April 2018)
Longest winless run16 Matches – Coventry City U18s (20 December 2017 – 21 April 2018)
Longest losing run10 Matches – Coventry City U18s (19 August 2017 – 4 November 2017)

The Professional Development League is the sixth campaign of post-EPPP Under-23 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status. A total of 21 teams are split regionally into north and south divisions, with each team facing opponents in their own region twice both home and away and opponents in the other region once for a total of 30 games each in the North Division, and 29 games in the South division.

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. Burnley U18s[1] were officially granted Category 2 status in the summer of 2017 and became the league's 21st team. At the end of the season, Huddersfield Town U18s would leave as they would drop from category 2 to category 4 so they could restructure their academy.[2]

Tables

North Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Leeds United U18s 30 19 3 8 72 39 +33 60 Qualification for Knock-out stage
2 Bolton Wanderers U18s 30 17 7 6 84 53 +31 58
3 Sheffield Wednesday U18s 30 16 6 8 81 42 +39 54
4 Nottingham Forest U18s 30 15 6 9 75 54 +21 51
5 Burnley U18s 30 14 7 9 66 60 +6 49
6 Birmingham City U18s 30 13 7 10 72 63 +9 46
7 Sheffield United U18s 30 11 5 14 42 62 −20 38
8 Hull City U18s 30 11 5 14 57 78 −21 38
9 Crewe Alexandra U18s 30 10 7 13 62 58 +4 37
10 Huddersfield Town U18s 30 9 5 16 49 86 −37 32
11 Barnsley U18s 30 9 4 17 46 63 −17 31
Source: [1]

South Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Crystal Palace U18s 29 17 8 4 63 29 +34 59 Qualification for Knock-out stage
2 Charlton Athletic U18s 29 17 4 8 77 55 +22 55
3 Cardiff City U18s 29 15 3 11 65 48 +17 48
4 Watford U18s 29 15 2 12 65 48 +17 47
5 Millwall U18s 29 14 5 10 66 57 +9 47
6 Queens Park Rangers U18s 29 13 2 14 65 73 −8 41
7 Bristol City U18s 29 9 4 16 44 54 −10 31
8 Ipswich Town U18s 29 7 6 16 42 72 −30 27
9 Colchester United U18s 29 7 1 21 47 92 −45 22
10 Coventry City U18s 29 3 1 25 29 82 −53 10
Source: [2]

Knock-out stage

Semi-finals

Crystal Palace U18s3–1Bolton Wanderers U18s
Coper's Cope Road, Beckenham
Leeds United U18s0–1Charlton Athletic U18s

Professional Development League Two Play-Off Final

Charlton Athletic U18s2–1Crystal Palace U18s
 Report

League 3

Football League Youth Alliance
Season2017–18
ChampionsNorth-East Division
Mansfield Town U18s
North-West Division
Rochdale U18s
South-East Division
Milton Keynes Dons U18s
South-West Division
Exeter City U18s
Merit League One
Gillingham U18s
Merit League Two
Leyton Orient U18s
Matches played701
Goals scored2,444 (3.49 per match)

League 3 is run by the Football League under the auspices of the Football League Youth Alliance. 50 teams once again competed this season, however the makeup was different. Burnley U18s would be promoted to Category 2 Academy status before this season to join the U18 Professional Development League 2. Forest Green Rovers U18s would join this season as a category 4 academy in the South-East Division, before promoting to a Category 3 Academy the next season.


League stage

North-East Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Mansfield Town U18s (C) 24 16 7 1 55 16 +39 55
2 Chesterfield U18s 24 13 2 9 52 42 +10 41
3 Rotherham United U18s 24 11 8 5 35 27 +8 41
4 Notts County U18s 24 12 4 8 53 34 +19 40
5 Grimsby Town U18s 24 13 1 10 46 29 +17 40
6 Doncaster Rovers U18s 24 11 6 7 41 31 +10 39
7 Oldham Athletic U18s 24 12 3 9 32 40 −8 39
8 Burton Albion U18s 24 9 3 12 27 33 −6 30
9 Lincoln City U18s 24 9 2 13 37 50 −13 29
10 Bradford City U18s 24 8 3 13 29 41 −12 27
11 Scunthorpe United U18s 24 6 7 11 26 43 −17 25
12 York City U18s 24 6 4 14 25 49 −24 22
13 Hartlepool United U18s 24 2 6 16 28 51 −23 12
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions

North-West Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Rochdale U18s (C) 26 21 3 2 64 19 +45 66
2 Wigan Athletic U18s 26 21 2 3 70 21 +49 65
3 Bury U18s 26 13 2 11 49 45 +4 41
4 Tranmere Rovers U18s 26 10 10 6 32 37 −5 40
5 Blackpool U18s 26 10 6 10 62 54 +8 36
6 Shrewsbury Town U18s 26 10 6 10 43 43 0 36
7 Walsall U18s 26 11 2 13 43 35 +8 35
8 Preston North End U18s 26 10 5 11 53 46 +7 35
9 Carlisle United U18s 26 9 4 13 40 49 −9 31
10 Fleetwood Town U18s 26 8 6 12 26 43 −17 30
11 Port Vale U18s 26 8 4 14 41 62 −21 28
12 Wrexham U18s 26 7 6 13 35 39 −4 27
13 Accrington Stanley U18s 26 6 7 13 30 59 −29 25
14 Morecambe U18s 26 5 3 18 30 66 −36 18
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions


South-East Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Milton Keynes Dons U18s (C) 22 14 2 6 40 27 +13 44 Merit League One
2 Southend United U18s 22 13 1 8 44 37 +7 40
3 Cambridge United U18s 22 12 2 8 42 25 +17 38
4 Gillingham U18s 22 11 1 10 43 42 +1 34
5 Stevenage U18s 22 8 6 8 37 34 +3 30
6 Luton Town U18s 22 9 3 10 30 28 +2 30
7 AFC Wimbledon U18s 22 9 3 10 35 37 −2 30 Merit League Two
8 Dagenham & Redbridge U18s 22 9 3 10 32 39 −7 30
9 Northampton Town U18s 22 8 5 9 32 35 −3 29
10 Leyton Orient U18s 22 7 4 11 33 39 −6 25
11 Barnet U18s 22 8 1 13 33 46 −13 25
12 Peterborough United U18s 22 7 3 12 33 45 −12 24
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions

South-West Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Exeter City U18s (C) 20 15 3 2 69 19 +50 48 Merit League One
2 AFC Bournemouth U18s 20 12 5 3 50 21 +29 41
3 Swindon Town U18s 20 11 3 6 44 35 +9 36
4 Portsmouth U18s 20 10 4 6 53 36 +17 34
5 Oxford United U18s 20 10 4 6 40 31 +9 34
6 Bristol Rovers U18s 20 9 2 9 38 40 −2 29
7 Plymouth Argyle U18s 20 8 2 10 36 41 −5 26 Merit League Two
8 Yeovil Town U18s 20 7 3 10 30 35 −5 24
9 Newport County U18s 20 4 5 11 29 50 −21 17
10 Forest Green Rovers U18s 20 3 3 14 20 62 −42 12
11 Cheltenham Town U18s 20 2 4 14 32 71 −39 10
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions

Merit League Stage

The teams in the Southeast and Southwest Divisions played another ten games to determine the champions of Merit League One and Merit League Two.

Merit League One

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Gillingham U18s (C) 11 7 3 1 25 15 +10 24
2 Exeter City U18s 11 7 2 2 34 10 +24 23
3 Luton Town U18s 11 6 1 4 28 17 +11 19
4 AFC Bournemouth U18s 11 5 4 2 25 21 +4 19
5 Southend United U18s 11 5 3 3 22 22 0 18
6 Swindon Town U18s 11 5 2 4 22 25 −3 17
7 Milton Keynes Dons U18s 11 5 1 5 21 23 −2 16
8 Stevenage U18s 11 3 3 5 21 22 −1 12
9 Portsmouth U18s 11 3 3 5 21 27 −6 12
10 Bristol Rovers U18s 11 3 1 7 18 26 −8 10
11 Cambridge United U18s 11 3 0 8 15 29 −14 9
12 Oxford United U18s 11 1 3 7 10 25 −15 6
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions

Merit League Two

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Leyton Orient U18s (C) 10 7 0 3 21 12 +9 21
2 Dagenham & Redbridge U18s 10 6 2 2 25 14 +11 20
3 Northampton Town U18s 10 6 2 2 21 13 +8 20
4 Plymouth Argyle U18s 10 5 1 4 19 11 +8 16
5 Yeovil Town U18s 10 4 3 3 17 10 +7 15
6 Peterborough United U18s 10 5 0 5 16 16 0 15
7 AFC Wimbledon U18s 10 4 2 4 20 19 +1 14
8 Cheltenham Town U18s 10 4 1 5 23 32 −9 13
9 Barnet U18s 10 3 2 5 16 18 −2 11
10 Newport County U18s 10 1 3 6 14 27 −13 6
11 Forest Green Rovers U18s 10 2 0 8 11 31 −20 6
Source: soccerway.com
(C) Champions

See also

References

  1. ^ "Burnley's Academy upgraded to Category two status". Lancashire Telegraph. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Huddersfield downgrade their academy status". Jersey Evening Post. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2024.