The Academy/Development squads watch thread 2024/25

[Sutekh]

And hopefully they’ll be replaced by some better kids

[Royals and Racers]

Harrison Rhone has joined Brackley Town on loan until January.

[Royals and Racers]

AFC Bournemouth have won an appeal and have now been granted Cat 1 status. This makes 31 teams in total now with Cat 1 Academies.
How this will effect PL 2 we can only wait and see. If it’s still 20 games in the regular season it means we won’t play 10 of them !!

[MR. CYNICAL]

AFC Bournemouth have won an appeal and have now been granted Cat 1 status. This makes 31 teams in total now with Cat 1 Academies.
How this will effect PL 2 we can only wait and see. If it’s still 20 games in the regular season it means we won’t play 10 of them !!
[/quot
Sorry, you've lost me there.

[Royals and Racers]

AFC Bournemouth have won an appeal and have now been granted Cat 1 status. This makes 31 teams in total now with Cat 1 Academies.
How this will effect PL 2 we can only wait and see. If it’s still 20 games in the regular season it means we won’t play 10 of them !!
[/quot
Sorry, you've lost me there.

What don’t you understand ?
The PL 2 is the league for Cat 1 academies- in 2025/6 there were 29 clubs that played 20 regular season games- they played other teams once- 10 at home, 10 away. That meant that the Royals didn’t play 8 teams. Top 16 went to play-offs.
Brentford and now Bournemouth have increased the number of Cat 1’s to 31 teams and what isn’t known is what the PL will do as regards PL 2 fixtures for 2026/7 season.

[MR. CYNICAL]

AFC Bournemouth have won an appeal and have now been granted Cat 1 status. This makes 31 teams in total now with Cat 1 Academies.
How this will effect PL 2 we can only wait and see. If it’s still 20 games in the regular season it means we won’t play 10 of them !!
[/quot
Sorry, you've lost me there.

What don’t you understand ?
The PL 2 is the league for Cat 1 academies- in 2025/6 there were 29 clubs that played 20 regular season games- they played other teams once- 10 at home, 10 away. That meant that the Royals didn’t play 8 teams. Top 16 went to play-offs.
Brentford and now Bournemouth have increased the number of Cat 1’s to 31 teams and what isn’t known is what the PL will do as regards PL 2 fixtures for 2026/7 season.

What I don't understand is why we don't play 20 games like everyone else. Assume the league is a level playing field at the start of the regular season. Why did we only play 8 teams?
I respect your knowledge of the academy and women's team so was just politely asking. Apologies you need to explain to me like I'm only 5

[Royals and Racers]

What don’t you understand ?
The PL 2 is the league for Cat 1 academies- in 2025/6 there were 29 clubs that played 20 regular season games- they played other teams once- 10 at home, 10 away. That meant that the Royals didn’t play 8 teams. Top 16 went to play-offs.
Brentford and now Bournemouth have increased the number of Cat 1’s to 31 teams and what isn’t known is what the PL will do as regards PL 2 fixtures for 2026/7 season.

What I don't understand is why we don't play 20 games like everyone else. Assume the league is a level playing field at the start of the regular season. Why did we only play 8 teams?
I respect your knowledge of the academy and women's team so was just politely asking. Apologies you need to explain to me like I'm only 5

Sorry but i didn’t say we play only 8 teams ! We like the other 28 teams in PL 2 in 2025/6 played 20 matches. 10 home matches, 10 away. That equates to 20 teams we played( 10 home, 10 away) so 8 teams we didn’t play in the regular season. What the PL were thinking about when they devised it who knows !! They probably thought the crappy Champions League format was brilliant
Therefore that’s why as the league in 2026/7 has 31 teams and if it’s still 20 matches we won’t play 10 teams now.
These are the 8 teams we didn’t play last season.
Aston Villa
Birmingham
Ipswich
Tottenham
Crystal Palace
Liverpool
Southampton
Brighton

[MR. CYNICAL]

What I don't understand is why we don't play 20 games like everyone else. Assume the league is a level playing field at the start of the regular season. Why did we only play 8 teams?
I respect your knowledge of the academy and women's team so was just politely asking. Apologies you need to explain to me like I'm only 5

Sorry but i didn’t say we play only 8 teams ! We like the other 28 teams in PL 2 in 2025/6 played 20 matches. 10 home matches, 10 away. That equates to 20 teams we played( 10 home, 10 away) so 8 teams we didn’t play in the regular season. What the PL were thinking about when they devised it who knows !! They probably thought the crappy Champions League format was brilliant
Therefore that’s why as the league in 2026/7 has 31 teams and if it’s still 20 matches we won’t play 10 teams now.
These are the 8 teams we didn’t play last season.
Aston Villa
Birmingham
Ipswich
Tottenham
Crystal Palace
Liverpool
Southampton
Brighton

Badly misread that, sorry, thanks for your patience

[Sutekh]

Out of interest, when will the PL2 fixtures/teams/compositions etc. for 26/27 be officially announced?

[Royals and Racers]

Out of interest, when will the PL2 fixtures/teams/compositions etc. for 26/27 be officially announced?

Sometime in early August at the latest i would imagine.

[Royals and Racers]

Reports today that Wolves Academy might be about to lose CAT 1 status- decision could be made next week.

[tidus_mi2]

Reports today that Wolves Academy might be about to lose CAT 1 status- decision could be made next week.

I feel any Championship club that wants to maintain Cat 1 should more than have the resources to do so, would make it seem like a change in direction.

[Clyde1998]

Wolves have had their Category One status confirmed, after a reprieve related to their facilities: https://trainingground.guru/wolves-reta ... -reprieve/

[Royals and Racers]

No PL 2 fixtures yet but Youth Hawk are reporting that we have North and South Divisions this season.- TBC.
Re-reading it this could just refer to U 18 league rather than PL 2. Confirmation definitely needed !
South
Bournemouth
Brentford
Arsenal
Aston Villa
Birmingham
Brighton
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Ipswich
Norwich
Reading
Southampton
Tottenham
West Brom
West Ham

[Royals and Racers]

Reading are once again not taking part in the National League Cup this season- 16 PL 2 clubs in it and we are not one of them.

[Royals and Racers]

David Hicks has gone on loan to Bedford Town until end of August. ( joins Reece Evans there)

[Royals and Racers]

Youth Hawk have details of the re-vamped PL Cup in 2026. 40 teams in 10 groups of 4. We are in Group G along with Bristol City, Exeter City and Norwich City who i’m sure we will play home and away.

[Crowbar6753]

David Hicks has gone on loan to Bedford Town until end of August. ( joins Reece Evans there)

Will be good to see them do well, just did a google search and check of their stadium etc...and it looks like a decent set up and club and the national North is a decent competitive league. I used to watch Harrogate Town in that league 20+years ago and it was half decent football and great entertainment, these two should do well at this level however, it's a pretty tough and unforgiving league with plenty of bruising players

[Royals and Racers]

PL 2 fixtures out tomorrow morning.

[Royals and Racers]

PL 2 fixtures out- 20 matches 10 H 10 A
Home
Mon 24th August v Derby at Farnborough
Saturday 19th September v Everton at Bearwood
Saturday 24th October v Notts Forest at Bearwood
Friday 6th November v Newcastle at SCL stadium
Monday 14th December v West Ham at Farnborough
Friday 8th January v Arsenal at SCL Stadium
Friday 22nd January v Man Utd at SCL Stadium
Monday 15th February v Aston Villa at SCL Stadium
Sunday 7th March v Stoke at Bearwood
Friday 19th March v West Brom at SCL Stadium

Away
Friday 28th August v Burnley
Monday 14th September v Blackburn
Saturday 17th October v Liverpool
Monday 30th November v Bournemouth
Monday 21st December v Birmingham
Sunday 17th January v Brighton
Saturday 6th February v Ipswich
Friday 19th February v Southampton
Sunday 28th February v Middlesborough
Monday 15th March v Tottenham

10 teams we don’t play
Chelsea
Fulham
Leicester
Brentford
Crystal Palace- for a 2nd season- surely not right !
Norwich
Leeds
Man City
Wolves
Sunderland