The2019–20 Professional U23 Development League was the eighth season of theProfessional Development League system.[1]
The competition was suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic after group stage matches on 12 March 2020, and was originally to restart in June 2020. However, the season was eventually cancelled on 1 May 2020.[2] The league was decided on a points-per-game system in August 2020 withChelsea winning the Division 1 title andWolverhampton Wanderers being relegated. In Division 2,West Ham United andManchester United were promoted with no promotion play-offs being played.[3]
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chelsea U23s (2nd Title) Division 2 West Ham United U23s (2nd Title) |
| Promoted | West Ham United U23s Manchester United U23s |
| Relegated | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s |
| Matches | 212 |
| Goals | 748 (3.53 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Nathan HollandWest Ham United U23s, Anthony ScullyWest Ham United U23s (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Reading U23s 6–0Newcastle United U23s (12 August 2019) West Bromwich Albion U23s 6–0Sunderland U23s (23 August 2019) Everton U23s 8–2Southampton U23s (30 August 2019) |
| Biggest away win | West Bromwich Albion U23s 0–5Manchester United U23s (9 August 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Everton U23s 8–2 Southampton U23s |
| Longest winning run | 7 MatchesManchester United U23s West Ham United U23s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Full season Chelsea U23s West Ham United U23s |
| Longest winless run | 18 matches Full SeasonSunderland U23s (12 August 2019 – 1 March 2020) |
| Longest losing run | 17 matches Sunderland U23s (18 August 2019– 1 March 2020) |
| Highest attendance | 5,731Tottenham Hotspur U23s 3–1Manchester City U23s (16 August 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 40Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s 1–1 Chelsea U23s (23 November 2019) |
2020–21 → | |
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea U23s(C) | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 34 | 20 | +14 | 38 |
| 2 | Leicester City U23s | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 21 | +15 | 35 |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion U23s | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 31 |
| 4 | Derby County U23s | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 27 |
| 5 | Liverpool U23s | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 26 |
| 6 | Arsenal U23s | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 25 |
| 7 | Everton U23s | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 33 | –1 | 22 |
| 8 | Blackburn Rovers U23s | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 21 |
| 9 | Manchester City U23s | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 21 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur U23s | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 31 | 34 | –3 | 21 |
| 11 | Southampton U23s | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 47 | –24 | 15 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s(R) | 18 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 35 | –14 | 11 |
| Home \ Away | ARS | BLA | B&H | CHE | DER | EVE | LEI | LIV | MNC | SOU | TOT | WOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal U23s | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | – | – | |
| Blackburn Rovers U23s | 1–3 | 1–2 | – | 2–0 | – | 3–1 | – | 0–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion U23s | 1–0 | 3–5 | – | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–5 | 2–1 | – | 4–1 | 2–0 | |
| Chelsea U23s | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | – | 3–0 | 2–1 | – | 2–2 | – | |
| Derby County U23s | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 4–1 | – | – | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | |
| Everton U23s | 3–3 | 2–1 | – | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | – | 2–2 | 8–2 | 1–3 | 3–2 | |
| Leicester City U23s | – | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | – | 3–0 | 3–2 | 5–1 | |
| Liverpool U23s | 3–0 | 0–0 | – | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | – | 1–4 | 5–0 | 0–4 | 4–3 | |
| Manchester City EDS | 1–1 | – | 0–1 | 2–2 | – | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| Southampton U23s | – | 1–3 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–1 | – | 1–3 | 2–4 | 2–0 | – | 1–0 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur U23s | 1–3 | – | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | – | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham United U23s(P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 21 | +37 | 46 |
| 2 | Manchester United U23s(P) | 17 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 17 | +28 | 43 |
| 3 | West Bromwich Albion U23s | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 22 | +16 | 34 |
| 4 | Stoke City U23s | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 27 | +5 | 27 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough U23s | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 34 | 43 | –9 | 26 |
| 6 | Newcastle United U23s | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 29 | 32 | –3 | 25 |
| 7 | Aston Villa U23s | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 28 | –1 | 22 |
| 8 | Swansea City U23s | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 32 | –10 | 21 |
| 9 | Reading U23s | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 35 | 37 | –2 | 20 |
| 10 | Fulham U23s | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 26 | 32 | –6 | 20 |
| 11 | Norwich City U23s | 17 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 35 | –12 | 17 |
| 12 | Sunderland U23s | 18 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 53 | –43 | 1 |
| Home \ Away | AST | FUL | MNU | MID | NEW | NOR | REA | STK | SUN | SWA | WBA | WHU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa U23s | 1–0 | 4–1 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | – | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | |
| Fulham U23s | 2–0 | – | 2–4 | 1–2 | – | 5–4 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–3 | |
| Manchester United U23s | – | 1–0 | – | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | – | 3–1 | 2–2 | |
| Middlesbrough U23s | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | – | 3–2 | – | 3–4 | |
| Newcastle United U23s | – | 3–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | – | 1–2 | |
| Norwich City U23s | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | – | – | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 1–4 | |
| Reading U23s | 3–3 | – | 1–4 | 0–1 | 6–0 | 0–1 | 0–4 | – | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | |
| Stoke City U23s | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–3 | – | – | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | |
| Sunderland U23s | 1–2 | 0–3 | – | 2–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–1 | – | 0–4 | 2–4 | |
| Swansea City U23s | 1–1 | – | 1–4 | 5–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | – | 3–4 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–4 | |
| West Bromwich Albion U23s | – | 3–1 | 0–5 | 4–1 | 2–1 | – | 4–2 | – | 6–0 | 2–0 | – | |
| West Ham United U23s | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | – | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | – | 2–0 |
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Nottingham Forest U23s (North Division) Millwall U23s (South Division) |
| Matches | 227 |
| Goals | 751 (3.31 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Sam DalbyWatford U23s (15 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Leeds United U23s 6–0Watford U23s (16 September 2019) Birmingham City U23s 6–0 Bolton Wanderers U23s (1 November 2019) Nottingham Forest U23s 6–0 Bolton Wanderers U23s (22 November 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Bristol City U23s 1–6 Watford U23s (6 January 2020) Bolton Wanderers U23s 0–5 Nottingham Forest U23s (9 March 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Ipswich Town U23s 6–3 Bolton Wanderers U23s (9 October 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 5 MatchesLeeds United U23s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 MatchesBurnley U23s |
| Longest winless run | 16 MatchesBolton Wanderers U23s |
| Longest losing run | 13 Matches Bolton Wanderers U23s |
2020–21 → | |
The 2019–20 Professional Development League season was the eighth campaign of post-EPPP under-23 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category Two status. A total of 21 teams were 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. The teams that finished in the top two places in both regions at the end of the season were supposed to advance to the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion, but the season was halted in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in England.Leeds United U23s were the defending champions.
21 Teams competed in the league this season, 1 more than last season.Wigan Athletic U23s acquired Category Two status in July 2019 and joined the North Division this season after a six year absence.
Final league positions were determined by points per game methodology due to season curtailment.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham Forest U23s(C) | 21 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 21 | +32 | 47 | North Champions |
| 2 | Burnley U23s | 21 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 41 | 21 | +20 | 41 | |
| 3 | Leeds United U23s | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 40 | 18 | +22 | 39 | |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic U23s | 21 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 39 | |
| 5 | Birmingham City U23s | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 37 | |
| 6 | Hull City U23s | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 33 | 35 | −2 | 32 | |
| 7 | Crewe Alexandra U23s | 23 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 30 | |
| 8 | Barnsley U23s | 23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 27 | |
| 9 | Sheffield Wednesday U23s | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 24 | |
| 10 | Sheffield United U23s | 25 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 32 | 48 | −16 | 20 | |
| 11 | Bolton Wanderers U23s | 22 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 16 | 74 | −58 | 4 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millwall U23s(C) | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 38 | South Champions |
| 2 | Watford U23s | 23 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 41 | |
| 3 | Coventry City U23s | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 28 | +5 | 39 | |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic U23s | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 33 | |
| 5 | Cardiff City U23s | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 33 | 38 | −5 | 32 | |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers U23s | 21 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 29 | |
| 7 | Bristol City U23s | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 29 | 39 | −10 | 25 | |
| 8 | Ipswich Town U23s | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 23 | |
| 9 | Crystal Palace U23s | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 27 | 38 | −11 | 16 | |
| 10 | Colchester United U23s | 21 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 16 |