Birmingham City F.C. Development Squad and Academy are thereserve team and theyouth development system ofBirmingham City Football Club. The reserve team, established in 1879, played in thePremier Reserve League South in the 2009–10 season, but did not enter a league again until the 2012–13 season, when it was placed in the northern division of the newly formedProfessional Development League 2, a predominantly under-21 league. The academy, established in its current form in 1999, trains boys in age groups from under 9s through to under 18s.
Birmingham City have had a reserve team since 1879. They playedfriendly matches until gaining a place in theBirmingham & District League in 1893. In their third season they finished in runners-up spot, an achievement repeated in 1907 and 1921. In 1915 they were runaway winners of the league; in the 34-game season they scored 160 goals, of which Charlie Duncan scored 52. In1921–22, following the reorganisation associated with the formation of theThird Division North, they joined theCentral League, which now consisted of reserve teams of northern Football League clubs. In1947–48 they lost their place toBarnsley, so joined theFootball Combination, the equivalent reserve league for teams in the southern half of the country, rejoining an expanded Central League in 1982.[1]
Since the1999–2000 season, the league played in by the reserve team has depended on the league position of the club's first team. Relegation for the first team in 2006 meant the reserves dropped out of thePremier Reserve League into the Central League for2006–07; they finished top of the Central Division of that League.[2]Promotion back to thePremier League for the first team meant that for2007–08 the reserves were placed in the Southern Division of the Premier Reserve League. Birmingham City fields its reserve team in theBirmingham Senior Cup, which it has won on twelve occasions, most recently in 2008 after a 5–0 win overBurton Albion.[3]
Following the first team's relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2007–08 season, the reserve team was no longer eligible to play in the Premier Reserve League. The option to enter the Central League was not taken up, the club deciding instead not to enter the reserves in a league, but to play only friendly matches and the Birmingham Senior Cup.[4] When the first team gained promotion back to the Premier League the following year, the reserve team resumed its place in the Premier Reserve League South, in which they finished seventh of nine.[5] They did not enter a league until the 2012–13 season, when they were placed in the northern division of theProfessional Development League 2, the second tier of the newly formedProfessional Development League, a predominantly under-21 league resulting from the Premier League'sElite Player Performance Plan.
The reserve team's playing staff consists of younger players and those on the fringe of the first-team squad, augmented by first-team players recovering from injury and academy players gaining experience. They played most of their league matches atDamson Park, the home ground ofSolihull Moors; they sometimes played atSt Andrew's, for instance when an unusually high attendance is expected.[6] Friendlies are often played behind closed doors at the club's training ground.
On 7 December 2020 Birmingham announced they'd be replacing their Development Squad with a B Team.[7]
In 1996, the directors of Birmingham City dismantled theiryouth development system in the belief, according to managerBarry Fry, that theBosman ruling meant "they may invest a substantial sum in producing a player who was then picked off, without cost, by a rival club", and the £250,000 annual saving would be better spent bringing in players from outside.[8]Fry's successor as manager,Trevor Francis, insisted that the system should be reinstated and brought inBrian Eastick to oversee the process; by 1999 the club had metthe Football Association's criteria and received a licence to operate an academy.[9][10]
Since the youth system was re-established, a number of players have graduated to careers in League football at Birmingham or elsewhere, some examples beingDarren Carter,Craig Fagan,Andrew Johnson,Marcos Painter,Mat Sadler andJude Bellingham.Academy products who have represented their country includeColin Doyle (Republic of Ireland),[11]David Howland (Northern Ireland U-21),[12]Sone Aluko (England U-19),[13]Krystian Pearce (2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup withEngland U-17),[14]andAaron Moses-Garvey, whoseSt Kitts and Nevis U-20 side reached the final qualifying round for the2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup[15] and who made his full international debut in February 2008.[16] In the 2009–10 season, goalkeeper Jack Butland was part of the England under-17 team that won the2010 European championships,[17] and Will Packwood played for theUSA at the2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[18]
Terry Westley was appointed Academy manager in 2006.[19] In his first season, he presided over the under-18 side reaching the quarter final of theFA Youth Cup,[20] and two years later they reached the semifinal of the same competition.[21] After completing a report to the club's board of directors, which contained recommendations needed to "push [the Academy] to the next level", Westley left the club by mutual consent in February 2011. He was succeeded by his assistant Kristjaan Speakman.[22]
Under the Premier League'sElite Player Performance Plan, Birmingham's Academy was assessed as category 2 (of 4)[23]
The academy teams play their matches at the club's training ground, Wast Hills, atKings Norton, south Birmingham.[24]
On 7 December 2020 Birmingham announced they'd be replacing their Academy with a C Team.[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Coaching staff
It is not thought that Westley and the board were necessarily at loggerheads over his recommendations, culminating in the parting of the ways. Moreover, he has probably felt for a while that he needed a new challenge, and the owners have made clear their demand for a more productive Academy and perhaps believed their own man was needed to head things up in order to truly realise their vision for the future.
