Arsenal F.C. Academy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Arsenal Football Club Academy are the youth team of Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

. They currently play in the FA Premier Academy League, the highest level of youth football in England. The club enter Under-18 and Under-16 teams in the League, but they operate the academy for boys from the age of nine upwards.

Some of the senior members of the U18 team also play for Arsenal Reserves

Arsenal F.C. Reserves

Arsenal Reserves are the reserve team of Arsenal Football Club.They have been members of the FA Premier Reserve League Southern Division since its foundation in 1999. They play their home games at Underhill Stadium, which is also the home of Barnet FC. The team mainly consists of Under-21 players...

, and the team are currently coached by former Arsenal defender Steve Bould

Steve Bould

Stephen Andrew Bould is an English former football player and current coach. He played professionally for Stoke City, Torquay United, Arsenal and Sunderland.-Stoke City:...

, while the younger teams are coached by Roy Massey

Roy Massey

Roy Massey is an English former football player, now a coach.As a player, Massey played as a centre forward for Rotherham United , Leyton Orient and Colchester United . He retired from playing football in 1971 but became a coach, first at Colchester United before moving to Norwich City's centre...

and Steve Gatting

Steve Gatting

Stephen "Steve" Paul Gatting is an English former footballer, who is best known for playing for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 1983 FA Cup Final. He is currently a youth team coach at Arsenal...

. Former Arsenal midfielder and Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland national football team

The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

international Liam Brady

Liam Brady

Liam Brady is a former Irish association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team....

oversees the overall youth development setup at the club with his assistant David Court

David Court

David John Court is an English former footballer, now turned coach.Court joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1959, turning professional in January 1962. Initially a centre forward or inside forward, he was a regular goalscorer for the Gunners' youth and reserve sides...

Arsenal Youth (1954–1998)

Arsenal have occasionally operated a youth team as far back as 1893–94, and there had been an established third team (known as Arsenal 'A') for young players from 1929 to 1969.

In 1954, Arsenal started their own formal youth team. They entered the South Eastern Counties League (re-named the South East Counties League the following season) and the associated South East Counties League Cup from 1954–55 to 1997–98 (excluding 1967–68 and 1968–69). Arsenal Youth also played in the London Minor FA Challenge Cup (from 1954–55 to 1955–56 and 1959–60 to 1966–67) and the Southern Junior Floodlit Cup (from 1955–56 to 1971–72 and 1974–75 to 1998–99). The club have played in the FA Youth Cup

FA Youth Cup

The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

since 1954–55.

During this time, Arsenal were one of the most successful youth teams in the country, winning seven South East Counties League titles, six South East Counties League Cups (including three "doubles") and four FA Youth Cups.

Arsenal Academy (1998–present)

The youth team became founder members of the FA Premier Youth League in 1997–98. The league was initially a single division and Arsenal won the inaugural title. The following season this was renamed the Premier Academy League and split into Under-19 and Under-17 sections, with the new FA Academy system formally changing Arsenal's youth team to Academy status. Arsenal entered teams in both sections, winning the U17 title in 1999–00 and the U19 title in 2001–02 as well as two more FA Youth Cups.

Since 2004–05, the FA Premier Academy League has consisted of only a single section for Under-18s, although an Under-16 section is played with no league table being recorded. Arsenal U18s have won their division group (Group A) three times, in 2007–08, 2008–09

2008–09 in English football

The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

and 2009–10

2009–10 in English football

The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...

. They went on to win the academy play-off semi-final and final in 2008–09 and 2009–10 to become FA Premier Academy League champions. In 2009 they completed their first double by also winning the 2008–09 FA Youth Cup, having beaten Liverpool 6–2 on aggregate in the final.

U18 League

The following players are eligible for the U18 Academy League in the upcoming 2011–12

2011–12 in English football

The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...

season.

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Schoolboys

Honours

FA Premier Youth League/FA Premier Academy League

Winners (5): 1997–98 (U18), 1999–00 (U17), 2001–02 (U19), 2008–09 (U18), 2009–10

2009–10 Premier Academy League

The 2009–10 Premier Academy League Under–18 season is the thirteenth edition since the establishment of The Premier Academy League, and the sixth under the current make-up....

(U18)

South East Counties League
South East Counties League
The South East Counties League was a football league for the youth teams of clubs from Southern England.The competition grew out of the Middlesex Youth Invitation Cup set up in the 1950s by the Middlesex FA and was formerly known as the South East Counties Youth Football League...

Winners (4): 1955–56, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1990–91

FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

Winners (7): 1965–66, 1970–71, 1987–88, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2008–09

Runners-up (1): 1964–65

South East Counties League Cup]

Winners (6): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1979–80

Southern Junior Floodlit Cup

Winners (5): 1962–63, 1965–66, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1997–98

London Minor FA Cup

Winners (1): 1966–67

International academy graduates

This is a list of former Arsenal F.C. academy or Arsenal 'A' graduates who have gone on to represent their country at full international level since the Second World War

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

As of 10 August 2011.

Neil Kilkenny

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Georgios Efrem

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Peggy Lokando

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Jay Bothroyd

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Danny Clapton

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Andy Cole Ashley Cole

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Charlie George

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John Radford

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Graham Rix

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David Rocastle

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Len Shackleton

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Lionel Smith

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Peter Storey

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Michael Thomas Jack Wilshere

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Ingi Højsted

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Graham Barrett

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Liam Brady

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Keith Fahey

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David O'Leary

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Frank O'Neill Niall Quinn

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Anthony Stokes Narada Bernard

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Pat Rice

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Dean Shiels

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Wojciech Szczęsny

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Paul Dickov

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Alex Forsyth

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Armand Traoré

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Cesc Fàbregas

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Sebastian Larsson

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Johan Djourou

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Mal Griffiths

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Tom Walley Rhys Weston

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External links

Arsenal FC Academy homepage on Arsenal.com

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