Stoke City F.C. Under-21s and Academy explained

Clubname:Stoke City Under-21s
Fullname:Stoke City Football Club Under-21s
Nickname:The Potters
Founded:1863
Ground:bet365 Stadium
Clayton Wood Training Ground
St George's Park, Burton upon Trent
Manager:Ryan Shawcross (Under-21s)
David Hibbert (Under-18s)
League:Premier League 2
Season:2023–24
Position:Premier League 2, 19th
Current:2024–25 Professional U21 Development League
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Website:http://www.stokecityfc.com/

Stoke City Football Club Under-21s is the most senior of Stoke City's youth teams and the club's former reserve team. The Under-23 team is effectively Stoke City's second-string side. They play in Premier League 2. The team also competes in the Premier League Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup.

They play their home matches at the club's main ground, the bet365 Stadium, St George's Park, Burton upon Trent as well as the club's Clayton Wood Training Ground. In previous seasons the team has played at Lyme Valley Stadium in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Macclesfield Town's Moss Rose, Nantwich Town's Weaver Stadium and Harrison Park in Leek.

History

Stoke fielded a second team for the first time in a league competition, the Combination, in 1891–92, under the name of 'Stoke Swifts'.[1] The Swifts also played in the Midland League and the local North Staffordshire & District League, which they won on two occasions. The team joined the Birmingham & District League in 1900–01 and was renamed 'Stoke Reserves'.[2] They temporarily had to return to local leagues in 1908 after the first team suffered financial difficulties and had to resign from the Football League, taking the reserves' place in the Birmingham & District League. They returned in 1911–12 and continued to play in it until they joined the newly founded Central League, a specific reserve team only league. In 1925 after Stoke-on-Trent was granted City status the second string became "Stoke City Reserves".[3] They won the Central League title in 1927–28 and remained in the league until the 1980s when a Division Two was created. Stoke were relegated in 1984–85, gaining promotion in 1991–92, but suffered instant relegation in 1992–93, however promotion was achieved in 1993–94. The league was restructured in 1996 with Stoke now in the Central League Premier Division, dropping down to Division One in 1999–2000. They won Division One in 2002–03 and then won the Premier Division in 2003–04. Stoke remained in the Central League until 2008.

Following the first team's promotion to the Premier League in 2008 the reserves joined the Premier Reserve League. In 2012 the Premier League implemented the Elite Player Performance Plan and introduced the Professional Development League, with reserve teams becoming under-21 teams. In The League was split into two in 2014–15, with Stoke playing in Division 2. In 2016 the league was re-branded Premier League 2 and the age limit increased to under-23. This was reverted back to under-21 from 2022–23.[4]

Current squads

[5] [6]

Under-21s

Out on loan

Under-18s

Honours

Leagues

Cups

Staff

Academy management:
Academy full-time coaching staff:

League performance

Reserves, U21s and U23s

SeasonLeaguePWDLGFGAPtsPos
Entered the Combination as Stoke Swifts
1891–92The Combination2213184929274/12
1892–93The Combination221444482332bgcolor=silver2/12
1893–94The Combination181017573121bgcolor=silver2/10
1894–95Midland Football League261475903335bgcolor=silver2/14
1895–96North Staffordshire & District League3021721092949bgcolor=gold1/16
1896–97North Staffordshire & District League251835843339bgcolor=silver2/14
1897–98The Combination2410594235253/13
1898–99North Staffordshire & District League221714842535bgcolor=gold1/12
1899–1900North Staffordshire & District League169165027193/9
Renamed Stoke Reserves and joined the Birmingham & District League
1900–01Birmingham & District League34175128051394/18
1901–02Birmingham & District League34156135045369/18
1902–03Birmingham & District League341461463453410/18
1903–04Birmingham & District League342167895548bgcolor=silver2/18
1904–05Birmingham & District League342059683345bgcolor=silver2/18
1905–06Birmingham & District League34147137160358/18
1906–07Birmingham & District League34138136264349/18
1907–08Birmingham & District League341291353573311/18
Stoke resign from the Football League and first team replaces reserves in the Birmingham & District League
1908–09North Staffordshire Federation League151113442223bgcolor=silver2/10
1909–10North Staffordshire & District League2620067623403/14
1910–11North Staffordshire & District League2614396532315/14
First team leave the Birmingham & District League, reserves take their place
1911–12Birmingham & District League341112115152349/18
1912–13Birmingham & District League341331858752914/18
1913–14Birmingham & District League34177107346414/18
1914–15Birmingham & District League34175128052398/18
1914 to 1919 – World War I
1919–20Birmingham & District League341441673683212/18
1920–21Birmingham & District League341161746622812/18
Joined the newly formed reserve team only Central League
1921–22Central League42199147152476/22
1922–23Central League421391462823518/22
1923–24Central League4211121943583417/22
1924–25Central League421282254903218/22
Stoke-on-Trent granted city status in 1925, renamed Stoke City Reserves
1925–26Central League421482074933618/22
1926–27Central League421552270813518/22
1927–28Central League42238111016254bgcolor=gold1/22
1928–29Central League421671978823915/22
1929–30Central League421710157083448/22
1930–31Central League4214111746733916/22
1931–32Central League42121020571013416/22
1932–33Central League421681880744014/22
1933–34Central League42264128866563/22
1934–35Central League42211011936252bgcolor=silver2/22
1935–36Central League4210102266953020/22
1936–37Central League421961770824411/22
1937–38Central League4212121855763621/22
1938–39Central League4212102060653419/22
1939 to 1945 – World War II
1945–46Central League401632168743514/21
1946–47Central League4211102156893218/22
1947–48Central League421591856713913/22
1948–49Central League421662065693814/22
1949–50Central League421392056833519/22
1950–51Central League42692734922122/22
1951–52Central League421152647842722/22
1952–53Central League421771867694111/22
1953–54Central League421062646892621/22
1954–55Central League421951869784312/22
1955–56Central League4210141852763417/22
1956–57Central League421711146562458/22
1957–58Central League4216101666714211/22
1958–59Central League42228128154524/22
1959–60Central League42219127754515/22
1960–61Central League429112242712920/22
1961–62Central League4211112045753319/22
1962–63Central League42228127550526/22
1963–64Central League4219101358424814/22
1964–65Central League4210122042713218/22
1965–66Central League422499765157bgcolor=silver2/22
1966–67Central League421851965684111/22
1967–68Central League4212141660733816/22
1968–69Central League421591845423913/22
1969–70Central League421911126740498/22
1970–71Central League4210141852643418/22
1971–72Central League421713125949476/22
1972–73Central League4223811865554bgcolor=silver2/22
1973–74Central League4216111559564313/22
1974–75Central League421812125040486/22
1975–76Central League4216101660554211/22
1976–77Central League4213181149504410/22
1977–78Central League4213141558524011/22
1978–79Central League42231186545573/22
1979–80Central League4211171445493913/22
1980–81Central League4214111751573914/22
1981–82Central League4211151650613714/22
Central League Division Two created
1982–83Central League Division One30146105457347/16
Three points for a win introduced to reserve team football
1983–84Central League Division One30116135259399/16
1984–85Central League Division One348620437230bgcolor=Pink17/18
1985–86Central League Division Two34952051853215/18
1986–87Central League Division Two32135144248449/17
1987–88Central League Division Two3411815304441?/18
1988–89Central League Division Two3417107603861?/18
1989–90Central League Division Two34148125044506/18
1990–91Central League Division Two3412517516741?/18
1991–92Central League Division Two342554933080bgcolor=PaleGreen1/18
1992–93Central League Division One348818385632bgcolor=Pink16/18
1993–94Central League Division Two3421310544166bgcolor=PaleGreen3/18
1994–95Central League Division One341271546444311/18
1995–96Central League Division One3417895742593/18
League restructure
1996–97Central League Premier Division24112113437354/13
1997–98Central League Premier Division24104103541346/13
1998–99Central League Premier Division24771024322810/13
League restructure following creation of Premier Reserve League
1999–2000Central League Premier Division223811213717bgcolor=Pink11/12
2000–01Central League Division One229583532125/12
2001–02Central League Division One2210395227335/12
2002–03Central League Division One181224422238bgcolor=PaleGreen1/10
2003–04Central League Premier Division221345453143bgcolor=gold1/12
2004–05Central League Premier Division2210392826335/12
Leagues re-organised into geographical divisions
2005–06Central League Central Division187292230236/10
2006–07Central League Central Division226792537258/12
2007–08Central League Central Division2293102536309/12
Joined Premier Reserve League following first team's promotion
2008–09Premier Reserve League South1642101823148/9
2009–10Premier Reserve League South163491324139/9
2010–11No league entered
2011–12Central League Central Division123361523127/7
Joined Professional Development League following league reconstruction
2012–13Under-21 Premier League First Phase121110113747/7
Under-21 Premier League Second Phase12219142877/7
2013–14Under-21 Premier League21641126342218/22
2014–15Under-21 Premier League Division 222461223501811/12
2015–16Under-21 Premier League Division 222102102424328/12
2016–17Premier League 2 Division 222481025362011/12
2017–18Premier League 2 Division 222621431462011/12
2018–19Premier League 2 Division 2227784237287/12
2019–20Premier League 2 Division 2188373227274/12
2020–21Premier League 2 Division 22414374130452/13
2021–22Premier League 2 Division 22612773436433/14
2022–23Premier League 2 Division 220351226451410/11
2023–24Premier League 220721138552319/26

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stoke Swifts. FCHD. 3 September 2017.
  2. Web site: Stoke Reserves. FCHD. 3 September 2017.
  3. Web site: Stoke City Reserves. FCHD. 3 September 2017.
  4. Web site: Premier League 2 becomes under-21 competition . Premier League . 15 July 2022.
  5. Web site: U21s . Stoke City.
  6. Web site: U18s . Stoke City.
  7. Web site: Academy Staff . Stoke City . 6 July 2019.
  8. Web site: Under 23s / Reserve Statistics. Stoke City. 17 March 2015.

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