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{{Fs player | nat=Netherlands | pos=FW | name=Akwasi Asante | no=}}
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{{Fs player | nat=England | pos=MF | name=Reece Fleet | no=}}
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Revision as of 11:07, 20 November 2010

Birmingham City F.C. Reserves 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 are not entering a league in 2010–11. The Academy, established in its current form in 1999, trains boys in age groups from under 9s through to under 18s, and runs an Under-18 team which competes in the Premier Academy League.

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 have not entered a league for the 2010–11 season.[6]

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.[7] Friendlies are often played behind closed doors at the club's training ground.

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]

The Academy manager is Terry Westley. In the 2006–07 season, he presided over the under-18 side reaching the quarter final of the FA Youth Cup,[19] and two years later they reached the semifinal of the same competition.[20] The Academy teams play their matches at the club's training ground, Wast Hills, at Kings Norton, south Birmingham.[21]

Players

Reserves

All members of the first-team squad are eligible to play for the reserves, and many do so on an occasional basis when recovering from injury or to keep up match fitness while not playing first-team football. Academy players are also eligible to play for the reserves, and the younger reserves may feature for the academy side. The following players were named in reserve team matchday squads for the 2009–10 season of the Premier Reserve League; those who have only been unused substitutes are marked accordingly. Squad numbers, where present, refer to the first team squad; reserve and youth teams do not have squad numbers.

Last updated for match played 17 August 2010:[22]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Netherlands NED Akwasi Asante
23 FW England ENG Marcus Bent
FW Ivory Coast CIV Eddie Gnahore
MF Scotland SCO Graham Hutchison
17 MF Spain ESP Míchel
3 DF England ENG David Murphy
MF England ENG Adam Newbury
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 MF Ireland EIR Jay O'Shea
21 DF England ENG Stuart Parnaby
DF England ENG Dan Preston
27 FW England ENG Nathan Redmond
1 GK Northern Ireland NIR Maik Taylor
20 MF Spain ESP Enric Vallès

Academy (under-18s)

Nine youngsters joined the academy on two-year scholarships in July 2009.[23] The following players played for the academy under-18 team in the 2010–11 season of the Premier Academy League, last updated for match played 21 August 2010:[24][25]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Netherlands NED Akwasi Asante
FW England ENG Omar Bogle
GK England ENG Jack Butland
MF England ENG Reece Fleet
FW Slovakia SVK Julius Gombala
DF Slovakia SVK Jakub Hronec
MF Scotland SCO Graham Hutchison
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Scotland SCO Fraser Kerr
MF Turkey TUR Alpaslan Öztürk
MF Belgium BEL Brice Ntambwe
MF United States USA Will Packwood
  Callum Reilly
DF England ENG Luke Rowe

References

  1. ^ Matthews, Tony (2000). The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000. Cradley Heath: Britespot. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-9539288-0-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  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. 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. ^ "Bespoke Blues To Decide On Games". Birmingham City F.C. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  7. ^ "2009/10 Reserve Team Fixtures & Results". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  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. 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. 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. ^ Wilson, Alan (21 February 2007). "McGuinness: Be inspired". The FA. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  20. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (16 March 2009). "'Do yourselves proud'". The FA. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  21. ^ "2009/10 Academy U18 Fixtures & Results". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  22. ^ "Four-midable Bent". Birmingham City F.C. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  23. ^ "Academy Sign Up Future Stars". Birmingham City F.C. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  24. ^ "2010/11 U18 Fixtures & Results". Birmingham City F.C. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  25. ^ "Huddersfield U18s 0 Blues U18s 1". Birmingham City F.C. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.