Newcastle United Academy

Newcastle United FC runs a category 1 academy based in the North East. They have an elite youth development program that nurtures young talent.

The Under-21s play some of their games at Whitley Park Stadium, Blue Flames Sporting Club

The Academy strives to positively impact the personal, social, academic, and technical growth of all schoolboy and scholarship players.

The Academy also participates in the Northumberland Senior Cup.

Academy Competitions

Each season, the Academy competes across the standard slate of competitions for Category One clubs:

• U18 Premier League – split into North and South divisions; Newcastle United’s Under-18s play in the North League.
• U17 & U18 Premier League Cup – introduced by the Premier League in 2017 (originally as the U16 Premier League Cup, renamed the U17 Premier League Cup in 2020); seven group winners plus the best runner-up (by points, goal difference, then head-to-head) progress to the quarter-finals.
• FA Youth Cup – the traditional nationwide knockout competition open to academy sides across English football.
• UEFA Youth League – the leading academy-age club competition in Europe, mirroring the format of the UEFA Champions League group stage; Newcastle United’s Under-19s compete when eligible.
• Premier League 2 – since 2023, all Category One academies play in a single Swiss-style league, with entry and removal governed by Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) accreditation criteria.
• Premier League International Cup – four groups of eight, each combining four UK-based Under-21 sides with four invited overseas development squads; the top two in each group advance to the knockout stage.
• National League Cup – a 32-team midweek competition comprising 16 Under-21 sides from Premier League 2 and 16 National League club first teams.
• Vertu Trophy (EFL Trophy) – a midweek knockout competition featuring clubs from EFL League One and League Two alongside 16 invited Category One academies, regionalised into northern and southern sections through to the quarter-finals.
• Northumberland Senior Cup – a county knockout competition contested by Newcastle United’s Academy alongside sides from across Northumberland.

2025/26 Season

The Academy enters the 2025/26 season under Academy Director Steve Harper and Under-21 Coach Robbie Stockdale.

Scholars 2025/26

Sam Alabi, Jack Callaghan, Luke Gilligan, Oliver Holland, Mason Miley, Michael Mills, Noah Morgan, Ethan Ndiweni, Thomas Old, Jack Patterson and Sammy Pinnington.

Academy Players on Loan 2025/26

• Joe White (Midfielder) – Leyton Orient
• Tyler Jones (Goalkeeper) – Ashington AFC
• Max Thompson (Goalkeeper) – Ayr United
• Charlie McArthur (Defender) – Airdrieonians
• Joe Brayson (Forward) – Morpeth Town

Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26

Sean Neave (Forward, #62).

International Players 2025/26

• Aristide Yeutembip (Defender) – England U16
• Muawiya Ghanem (Midfielder) – England U16
• Jayden Presley Kouossu (Midfielder) – England U17
• Roman Dowell (Goalkeeper) – England U17
• George Mair (Goalkeeper) – England U17
• Sam Alabi (Midfielder) – England U17
• Leo Shahar (Defender) – England U19
• Lewis Miley (Midfielder) – England U21
• Alex Murphy (Defender) – Ireland U21
• Mohamed Waddani (Forward) – Libya First Team

2025/26 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Premier League Cup, Newcastle United’s Under-17s were drawn in Group F against Under-17 sides from Leeds, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

For the U18 Premier League Cup, the Under-18s were drawn in Group B against Leicester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa.

In the FA Youth Cup, the Under-18s were drawn at home against Portsmouth in the third round proper, before being drawn at home against Crystal Palace in the fourth round.

Also in the UEFA Youth League, the Under-19s were drawn against Barcelona, Union Saint-Gilloise, Benfica, Athletic Club, Olympique Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen. In the Premier League International Cup, Newcastle were drawn in Group C against PSG, Dinamo Zagreb, Benfica and Real Sociedad, alongside fellow UK sides Brighton, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

In the National League Cup, Newcastle United’s Under-21s were drawn in Group D against Boston United, FC Halifax Town, Gateshead and Scunthorpe United, with fixtures scheduled for weeks commencing 11 August, 20 October and 24 November, and on 16 December.

Finally in the Vertu Trophy, the Under-21s were drawn into Northern Group F alongside Harrogate Town, Huddersfield Town and Mansfield Town, with fixtures scheduled for 2 September, 15 October and 11 November.

Season Timeline

June 2025

• Academy trio Sean Neave, Leo Shahar and Trevan Sanusi signed new contracts with the club.

July 2025

• Teenage trio Joe Brayson, Luke Craggs and Logan Watts each signed their first professional contracts with Newcastle United.

August 2025

• Matheos Ferreira signed his first professional contract with Newcastle United, having joined the club’s Academy in 2020 from local side Berwick Juniors; a versatile winger who can operate on either flank, he has developed steadily since his arrival.
• Aaron Epia signed his first professional contract with Newcastle United; a ball-playing centre-back who joined the Magpies from Everton the previous summer, he made 14 league appearances for the Under-18s during the 2024/25 season.
• Jay Turner-Cooke completed a move to FC Halifax Town, joining the National League side after four and a half years at Newcastle United, having arrived from Sunderland in January 2021.

October 2025

• Newcastle United secured the signing of highly rated 15-year-old defender Josh Kenchington from Barnsley’s academy.
• Newcastle United Academy defender Les Yeutembip earned a call-up to the England Under-16 squad for the upcoming Football Federations Cup in Antalya, Türkiye.

November 2025

• Defender Alex Murphy was named in the Ireland U21 squad for upcoming matches against England and Andorra.
• Teenage winger Sammy Pinnington signed his first professional contract with Newcastle.
• Newcastle United’s Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup third-round fixture at home against Portsmouth was set to be held at Whitley Park on Tuesday 16 December.

December 2025

• Newcastle United’s Under-18s booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, setting up a tie against Crystal Palace.

January 2026

• Newcastle United Reserve Team captain Cathal Heffernan completed a permanent move to Harrogate Town; the Republic of Ireland youth international joined the Sky Bet League Two side on an 18-month deal.
• Newcastle United’s Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup run came to an end in the fourth round, following their tie against Crystal Palace.

February 2026

• Michael Mills, Oliver Goodbrand and Alfie Hutchison all signed their first professional contracts with Newcastle United.
• Winger Mills, who joined from Port Vale at 14, had already made his Under-21s debut, while former Rangers defender Goodbrand and Scotland U17 captain Hutchison had both featured for the club’s Under-21s that season.

March 2026

• Newcastle United were crowned champions of the U15 Premier League International Tournament, securing the title against Manchester City in the final.

2024/25 Season

The 2024/25 season was a proud one for the Newcastle United Academy under Academy Director Steve Harper.

The club won the U15 Poolfoot Cup and also reached the quarter-finals of the U17 Premier League Cup, the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, and the round of 16 of Premier League 2.

Scholars 2024/25

14 teenagers signed scholarships at Newcastle United for the 2024/25 season: Will Anderson, Guy Bloomer, Jude Cogdon, Jake Durrant, Matheos Ferreira, Henry Johnson

Tyler Jones, Alex O’Donovan, Matt Taylor, Mo Waddani, Kacey Wooster, Kayden Lucas, Ezra Tika-Lemba and Aaron Epia.

Academy Players on Loan 2024/25

• Jamie Miley (Midfielder) – Newport County
• Max Thompson (Goalkeeper) – Chesterfield
• Joe White (Midfielder) – MK Dons
• Miodrag Pivas (Defender) – Willem II Tilburg
• Charlie McArthur (Defender) – Carlisle United
• Alex Murphy (Defender) – Bolton Wanderers
• Travis Hernes (Midfielder) – Aalborg BK

Academy Graduates in the First Team 2024/25

Alex Murphy (Defender, #37), Trevan Sanusi (Forward, #70), Leo Shahar (Defender, #76), Sean Neave (Forward, #78).

International Players 2024/25

• Lesecond Yeutwembip (Defender) – England U15
• George Mair (Goalkeeper) – England U16
• Sam Alabi (Midfielder) – England U16
• Michael Mills (Forward) – England U16
• Sean Neave (Forward) – England U18
• Leo Shahar (Defender) – England U18
• Trevan Sanusi (Forward) – England U18
• Mo Waddani (Forward) – Libya U20
• Lewis Miley (Midfielder) – England U19; U20; U21
• Alex Murphy (Defender) – Republic of Ireland U21

2024/25 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Premier League Cup, Newcastle’s Under-17s were drawn in Group E against Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Leeds United, before reaching the quarter-finals, where they were drawn against Manchester United.

For the U18 Premier League Cup, the Under-18s were drawn in Group F against Chelsea, Millwall and Stoke City. In Premier League 2, Newcastle’s Under-21s reached the round of 16, where they were drawn against Arsenal.

In the National League Cup, Newcastle’s Under-21s were drawn in Group C against Boston United, Gateshead, FC Halifax Town and Tamworth.

Season Timeline

September 2024

• Newcastle United launched an Alumni Programme in 2023 to support former players and help academy graduates transition into their careers; over 50 graduates joined the scheme in its first year.

November 2024

• In the third round of the FA Youth Cup, Newcastle United were drawn at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

December 2024

• Following their third-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
• In the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, Newcastle United were drawn at home to Aston Villa.

January 2025

• The FA Youth Cup fifth round draw took place.
• Newcastle United’s Under-18s were eliminated from the FA Youth Cup, following their tie against Aston Villa.

April 2025

• Sean Neave was shortlisted for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for March 2025.
• In the Premier League 2 round of 16, Newcastle United’s Under-21s were set to take on Arsenal’s Under-21s, with the match scheduled for 25 April.
• Newcastle United’s Under-21s were eliminated from the Premier League 2 knockout stage, following their tie against Arsenal.

Released Academy Players (end of 2024/25)

Jay Turner-Cooke, Ellis Stanton, James Huntley, Josh Donaldson (joined Hartlepool), Harry Powell, Rory Powell.