Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy

Birmingham City F.C. Development Squad and Academy are the reserve team and the youth development system respectively of Birmingham City Football Club. The reserve team, established in 1879, played in the Premier 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 formed Professional 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.

Reserves

Birmingham City have had a reserve team since 1879. They played friendly matches until gaining a place in the Birmingham & 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. In 1921–22, following the reorganisation associated with the formation of the Third Division North, they joined the Central League, which now consisted of reserve teams of northern Football League clubs. In 1947–48 they lost their place to Barnsley, so joined the Football Combination, the equivalent reserve league for teams in the southern half of the country, rejoining an expanded Central League in 1982.[1]

Since the 1999–2000 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 the Premier Reserve League into the Central League for 2006–07; they finished top of the Central Division of that League.[2] Promotion back to the Premier League for the first team meant that for 2007–08 the reserves were placed in the Southern Division of the Premier Reserve League. Birmingham City fields its reserve team in the Birmingham Senior Cup, which it has won on twelve occasions, most recently in 2008 after a 5–0 win over Burton 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 the Professional Development League 2, the second tier of the newly formed Professional Development League, a predominantly under-21 league resulting from the Premier League's Elite 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 at Damson Park, the home ground of Solihull Moors; they sometimes played at St 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]

Academy

In 1996, the directors of Birmingham City dismantled their youth development system in the belief, according to manager Barry Fry, that the Bosman 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 in Brian Eastick to oversee the process; by 1999 the club had met the 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 being Darren Carter, Craig Fagan, Andrew Johnson, Marcos Painter and Mat Sadler. Academy products who have represented their country include Colin 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 with England U-17),[14] and Aaron Moses-Garvey, whose St Kitts and Nevis U-20 side reached the final qualifying round for the 2007 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 the 2010 European championships,[17] and Will Packwood played for the USA at the 2009 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 the FA 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's Elite 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, at Kings Norton, south Birmingham.[24]

On 7 December 2020 Birmingham announced they'd be replacing their Academy with a C Team.[7]

Players

Current U23s squad
As of 18 January 2021[25]

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.

No. Position Player Nation
45 Defender Ryan Burke  Ireland
50 Defender Nico Gordon  England
— Defender Marcel Oakley  England
46 Defender Joe Redmond  Ireland
— Defender Mitchell Roberts  England
53 Midfielder Tate Campbell  England
48 Midfielder Jack Concannon  England
28 Midfielder Miguel Fernández  Spain
51 Midfielder Kyle Hurst  England
47 Midfielder Ryan Stirk  Wales
— Midfielder Bernard Sun  China
— Midfielder Kane Thompson-Sommers  England
44 Midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce  Northern Ireland
— Midfielder Josh Williams  England
— Midfielder Oriol Soldevila  Spain
— Forward Josh Andrews  England

Out on loan

Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.

No. Position Player Nation
— Defender Remeao Hutton (on loan to Stevenage for the season[26])  England

Club officials
As of 14 January 2021[27]

Coaching staff

  • Under-23s head coach: Steve Spooner
  • Head of academy: Mike Dodds
  • Head of academy football operations and coaching: Stuart English
  • Academy development coach: Andy Crabtree

References
  1. Matthews, Tony (October 2000). The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000. Cradley Heath: Britespot. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-9539288-0-4.
  2. "Reserves clinch title with last-gasp Sone strike". Birmingham Mail. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  3. Davies, Matt (8 April 2008). "Brewers fall to Premier class". Burton Mail. Archived from the original on 21 August 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  4. Tattum, Colin (12 June 2008). "Birmingham City reserves decide to opt out". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  5. "Barclays Premier Reserve League Bulletin" (PDF). Premier League. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  6. "2009/10 Reserve Team Fixtures & Results". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  7. Birmingham City: CLUB STATEMENT - ACADEMY UPDATE"
  8. Burton, Mark (8 January 1996). "Dour Fry deflated by loss of youth". The Independent. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  9. Clarkson, Ian (17 September 2003). "Importance of Academy system should not be under-estimated, says Eastick as he swaps Blues for Magpies". PFA. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  10. "Boys' own story" (reprint). Birmingham Post. NewsBank. 12 February 2000. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
  11. "Kevin Doyle's spectacular goal the highlight as Ireland draw with Ecuador". Football Association of Ireland. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  12. "Squad Profiles – Under 21". Irish Football Association. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  13. Veevers, Nicholas (25 March 2008). "Tomkins at the double". The Football Association (The FA). Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  14. "Eastick names squad". The FA. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  15. "Tie against Costa Rica still gives Mexico Group B crown". CONCACAF. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007.
  16. "Belize – St. Kitts and Nevis". FIFA. 6 February 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2008.
  17. Lavery, Glenn (30 May 2010). "U17s are Kings of Europe". The FA. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  18. "Match 34: USA – United Arab Emirates". Tournaments: FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009. FIFA. 1 November 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  19. "Westley new academy boss at Blues". BBC Sport. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  20. Wilson, Alan (21 February 2007). "McGuinness: Be inspired". The FA. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  21. Veevers, Nicholas (16 April 2009). "'Do yourselves proud'". The FA. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  22. Tattum, Colin (10 February 2011). "I am proud of what I did for club - Terry Westley". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 11 February 2011. 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.
  23. Chris, Quinn (27 July 2012). "Blues handed category two EPPP status". birminghammail.net. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  24. "2009/10 Academy U18 Fixtures & Results". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  25. "U23s". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  26. "Hutton loaned to Stevenage". BCFC. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  27. "Academy Staff". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
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