Sheffield Wednesday Academy

Sheffield Wednesday FC runs a category 2 academy based in South Yorkshire. They have a youth development program that nurtures young talent.

“Over the course of the season that is what we are looking at. We want to see the progress in them and understanding the principles with and without the ball, what the manager wants and to gain an insight into first team level which is where they want to go and work.” – Andy Sharp (Academy Coach)

Academy Competitions

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

• U17 Professional Development League Cup – an English youth football tournament for players aged 17 and under.
• U18 Professional Development League – a leading English youth competition for Category Two academies, comprising 20 teams split into North and South regional divisions, combining league competition with a national play-off system.
• FA Youth Cup – the traditional nationwide knockout competition open to academy sides across English football.
• Professional Development League 2 – England’s main Under-21 youth competition for Category Two academies, sitting just below Premier League 2. It is split into regional North and South divisions, with play-offs determining the national champion.

2025/26 Season

The Academy enters the 2025/26 season under Academy Manager Jonathan Pepper.

Full details of players retained or released following the 2024/25 season can be found on the club’s official retained list.

Scholars 2025/26

Perry Ridge, Yisa Alao, James Kay, Harry Chadbourne, Thomas Streets, Reuben Selby, Kleven De Oliveira, Will Grainger, Noah Dixon, Jack Barraclough, Charlie Robinson.

Academy Players on Loan 2025/26

• Killian Barrett (Goalkeeper) – Boston United
• Junior Kamwa (Forward) – Brighouse Town
• Denny Oliver (Midfielder) – Brighouse Town; Bridlington Town AFC

Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26

Yisa Alao (Defender, #33), Ernie Weaver (Defender, #30), Joe Emery (Defender, #32), Jarvis Thornton (Midfielder, #37), Favour Onukwuli (Forward, #41).

International Players 2025/26

Bailey Cadamarteri (Forward) – Jamaica First Team.

2025/26 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Professional Development League Cup, Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-17s were grouped with Under-17 sides from Shrewsbury Town, Wrexham and Huddersfield Town.

Season Timeline

July 2025

• Six young Owls signed their first professional contracts at Hillsborough: Joe Emery, Ernie Weaver and Logan Stretch earned their maiden deals after completing two-year scholarships with the club, while Cole McGhee, Harry Evers and Denny Oliver joined Sheffield Wednesday following academy spells at Preston, Liverpool and Lincoln respectively.
• 18-year-old midfielder Sutura Kakay left Sheffield Wednesday to sign his first professional contract with Southampton.
• 19-year-old George Brown extended his contract with Sheffield Wednesday.
• Owls academy graduate Caelan Cadamarteri completed a move to Premier League champions Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

November 2025

• Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-18s were confirmed to travel to Bromley in the FA Youth Cup third round, with the tie scheduled for Friday 12 December.

December 2025

• Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup journey came to an end in the third round, following their tie against Bromley.
• Academy graduate Favour Onukwuli made his EFL Championship debut for Sheffield Wednesday, coming off the bench in the 78th minute.

2024/25 Season

A proud 2024/25 season for the Sheffield Wednesday Academy saw the Under-18s finish as runners-up in the U18 Professional Development League North.

Scholars 2024/25

Liam Clayton, Daniel Da Costa, Kailen Hatfield, Charlie Hobbs, Jacob Jessop, Aodhan Sopala.

Academy Players on Loan 2024/25

• Bailey Cadamarteri (Forward) – Lincoln City
• Sam Reed (Defender) – Boston United; Scarborough Athletic
• Jack Hall (Goalkeeper) – Bradford Park; Bridlington Town
• Mackenzie Maltby (Defender) – Scarborough Athletic
• Killian Barrett (Goalkeeper) – Solihull Moors
• Sean Fusire (Midfielder) – Carlisle United

Academy Graduates in the First Team 2024/25

Gabriel Otegbayo (Defender, #33), Sean Fusire (Midfielder, #30), Pierce Charles (Goalkeeper, #47).

International Players 2024/25

• Thomas Streets (GK) – England U16
• Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri (FW) – Scotland U16
• Will Grainger (FW) – Wales U17; U19
• Pierce Charles (GK) – Northern Ireland U21
• Gabriel Otegbayo (DF) – Republic of Ireland U21

Season Timeline

July 2024

• Eight young Owls were offered new contracts.

November 2024

• Sheffield Wednesday were drawn away to Bristol City in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.

March 2025

• Sheffield Wednesday published an Academy update as part of Youth Development Week.

May 2025

• The Under-18s concluded their campaign as runners-up in the U18 Professional Development League North; remarkably, the squad included a number of players who had not yet even started the club’s scholarship programme. The young Owls showed tremendous form during the second half of the season to secure a play-off spot against Bristol City, who topped the southern division, before their play-off journey came to an end in Bristol.
• Sheffield Wednesday extended first-time professional contracts to four of their promising young talents: Joe Emery, Sutura Kakay, Logan Stretch and Ernie Weaver.

Released Academy Players (end of 2024/25)

Under-18s: Finley Hunt, Harris Lihe, Voldi Mbaya, Caiden Remy-Dee, Ari-Jae Shaw, Jack Swales, Dominic Weston.

Under-21s: Jay Buchan, Cian Flannery, Jack Hall, Joey Phuthi, Sam Reed (joined Altrincham).