It can be tricky keeping up with who is eligible to play for the Elite Development Squad and Under-18s across each competition. Here are all the details for the tournaments in which Simon Davies and Lee Carsley lead City’s representatives.
Want to keep up with all the latest EDS and academy news? Follow the new official Twitter account, @ManCityAcademy.
Premier League 2
A new competition taking the place of last season’s U21 Premier League, 24 of the biggest clubs in the country have been split into two tiers of twelve teams. The age limit has risen from under-21 to under-23.
City are competing in Division 1 where the winners after a 22 game season will be crowned national champions. The bottom two of the twelve will be relegated to Division 2.
Teams in Division 1: Arsenal, Chelsea, Derby County, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Reading, Southampton, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur
In terms of City’s philosophy in the tournament, much of Simon Davies’ side will be made up of last season’s U18 Premier League champions, giving them vital experience against older players.
You can find fixtures and ticket information here.
Premier League Cup
The Premier League Cup will also be open to U23 teams, therefore replacing its U21 equivalent.
The competition begins with 32 teams being split into eight groups of four. City have been drawn in Group C against Derby County, Hull City and Colchester United.
UEFA Youth League
The UEFA Youth League is a Champions League equivalent for clubs’ U19 teams. This means Simon Davies’ team play the same opponents as the first team, only hours before the Champions League match kicks off.
If City come through their group with FC Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic, they will then be in a separate draw to the first team.
In terms of players likely to play for the Blues, it will be a mix of Davies’ Premier League 2 side, which is mostly made up of U19 players, with some of Lee Carsley’s U18 side getting the chance to step up.
You can find fixtures and ticket information here.
U18 Premier League
24 teams have been divided into a north and south group and each will play their opposing teams home and away before the end of February.
After that, all teams will be divided into three groups with the top four from north and south moving into Group 1 and the middle four moving into Group 2 and the bottom four moving into Group 3.
City will then play every team in their group once and the team that finishes top of Group 1 will be crowned champions.
You can find fixtures and ticket information here.
FA Youth Cup
The FA Youth Cup remains a staple of youth football in this country. U18 teams across the country are drawn in a knockout competition similar to the senior FA Cup until the semi-final and final stages which are played across two legs.
Lee Carsley’s City will enter the competition in December.
Want to keep up with all the latest EDS and academy news? Follow the new official Twitter account, @ManCityAcademy.
