Milton Keynes Dons Academy

Milton Keynes Dons runs a category 3 academy based in Buckinghamshire. They have an elite youth development program that nurtures young talent.

The Academy’s official X (formerly Twitter) account is @MKDonsFCAcademy.

The MK Dons Academy’s coaching philosophy focuses on developing players through core skills and strong player identity, while also building teams that play attractive and exciting football.

Academy Competitions

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

• U17 Professional Development League Cup – an English youth football tournament for players aged 17 and under.
• U18 Youth Alliance Cup – an EFL-organised youth tournament for Under-18 teams from League One and League Two clubs competing in the EFL Youth Alliance. It follows a format similar to the EFL Trophy, beginning with a regional group stage before progressing to a national knockout phase.
• FA Youth Cup – the traditional nationwide knockout competition open to academy sides across English football.
• Central League Cup – a reserve-team competition in which entrants are divided into groups, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarter-finals.
• Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup – a county knockout competition contested by MK Dons’ Academy alongside senior and academy sides from across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

2025/26 Season

The Academy enters the 2025/26 season under Academy Manager Ben Smith, YDP Lead Coach Fran Constancio Calvo, and Lead Professional Development Phase Coach Gary Mills.

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

Academy Players on Loan 2025/26

• Sebastian Stacey (Goalkeeper) – Worthing
• Marcel Guzynski (Defender) – Banbury United; Potters Bar Town
• Keon Lewis-Burgess (Midfielder) – Billericay Town
• Revin Domi (Midfielder) – Bishop’s Stortford; Northwood
• Charlie Waller (Defender) – Rochdale; Wealdstone
• Simone Troso (Midfielder) – King’s Lynn
• Phoenix Scholtz (Defender) – AFC Dunstable
• Rian Silver (Forward) – AFC Dunstable; Biggleswade Town
• Zach White (Forward) – Barton Rovers
• Michael Brammeld (Forward) – Banbury United; Potters Bar Town
• Callum Tripp (Defender) – Bedford Town; Sutton United; Brackley
• Ryan Kelly (Goalkeeper) – Newport Pagnell Town; Northwood; Hitchin Town
• Ronnie Walker (Midfielder) – Newport Pagnell Town
• Ben Nash (Forward) – Newport Pagnell Town

Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26

Charlie Waller (Defender, #35), Jack Burke (Midfielder, #48), Dylan Fry (Defender, #43), Ben Nash (Midfielder, #55), Laike Favier (Midfielder, #52), Damerai Singh-Hurditt (Midfielder, #44)

Rian Silver (Midfielder, #42), Lewis Sandford (Goalkeeper, #41), Revin Domi (Midfielder, #40), Chase Medwynter (Forward, #49), Elisha Boateng (Midfielder, #54).

2025/26 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Professional Development League Cup, MK Dons’ Under-17s were grouped with Under-17 sides from Oxford United, Brentford and Forest Green Rovers.

In the U18 Youth Alliance Cup first round, the Under-18s were drawn away against Barnet.

For the FA Youth Cup, the Under-18s were drawn at home against Shrewsbury Town in the first round proper, before being drawn away against Plymouth Argyle in the second round proper.

In the Central League Cup, MK Dons’ Reserves were drawn in Group D against Reserve sides from Notts County, Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers.

In the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup, MK Dons were drawn away against Buckingham FC, before being drawn away against Chesham United in the third round.

Season Timeline

May 2025

• Chase Medwynter signed his first professional deal with MK Dons. Simone Troso put pen to paper on his first professional contract with MK Dons ahead of the 2025/26 season.

July 2025

• MK Dons Academy goalkeeper Remi Lupinski finalised a move to join Arsenal’s youth setup.

August 2025

• Lead Professional Development Phase Coach John Bitting left Stadium MK to begin a new chapter with Arsenal Women.
• Former Ipswich Town academy midfielder Revin Domi joined the MK Dons Development Group for the 2025/26 season; the 18-year-old attacking midfielder has represented Albania across various youth age groups.

November 2025

• Milton Keynes Dons Under-18s were set to travel to face Plymouth Argyle Under-18 in the FA Youth Cup second round on Tuesday 18 November, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00pm.
• A youthful Dons side made the trip to Chesham United for their third-round clash on Tuesday 18 November, with kick-off at 7:45pm.
• Milton Keynes Dons Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup journey came to an end, following their tie away to Plymouth Argyle Under-18s.

January 2026

• King’s Lynn confirmed that Simone Troso’s loan had been extended until the end of the season.
• MK Dons Academy confirmed that Gary Mills had left his role as Lead Professional Development Phase Coach to take up a position as Assistant First-Team Manager at Port Vale; Mills had returned to Stadium MK for his second spell with the Academy in August.

April 2026

• Nine apprentices were set to be recognised at the EFL Awards in London on 19 April for their performances on and off the pitch during the 2025/26 season, with one winner chosen from each division.
• The League Two nominees were Ollie Dewsbury (Bristol Rovers), Mamadou Diallo (Cheltenham Town) and Rian Silver (MK Dons).

2024/25 Season

Based in Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes Dons ran a Category Three academy.

Academy Players on Loan 2024/25

• Sebastian Stacey (Goalkeeper) – AFC Dunstable; Hitchin Town
• Keon Lewis-Burgess (Midfielder) – Banbury United; Biggleswade
• Isaac Olaleye (Midfielder) – Arlesey Town FC; AFC Rushden & Diamonds
• Chase Medwynter (Forward) – Banbury United
• Corvell Pickering (Midfielder) – Newport Pagnell Town FC
• Callum Tripp (Midfielder) – Gateshead
• Marcel Guzynski (Forward) – AFC Rushden & Diamonds
• Joel Anker (Forward) – AFC Dunstable
• Charlie Waller (Defender) – Sutton United
• Simone Troso (Midfielder) – AFC Dunstable
• Charlie Stirland (Defender) – Oxford City; Darlington
• Albert Wood (Defender) – Potters Bar; AFC Dunstable; Biggleswade
• Phoenix Scholtz (Defender) – AFC Dunstable
• Kobe Sinclair-Linton (Defender) – Hitchin Town
• Joshua Clarke-Anderson (Defender) – Arlesey Town

Academy Graduates in the First Team 2024/25

Brooklyn Ilunga (Midfielder, #21), Damerai Singh-Hurditt (Midfielder, #33), Charlie Stirland (Defender, #36), Albert Sidney Wood (Defender, #37), Keon Lewis-Burgess (Midfielder, #38)

Rian Silver (Midfielder, #40), Chase Medwynter (Forward, #49), Sebastian Stacey (Goalkeeper, #51), Kobe Sinclair-Linton (Defender), Michael Brammeld (Forward), Simone Trosso (Midfielder), Charlie Waller (Defender, #35).

International Players 2024/25

• Michael Brammeld (Forward) – Northern Ireland U19
• Callum Tripp (Midfielder) – Wales U21

2024/25 Tournament Groupings

In the U18 Youth Alliance Cup, MK Dons’ Under-18s were drawn in Group G against Under-18 sides from Luton Town, Cambridge United, Northampton Town and Stevenage.

Season Timeline

October 2024

• In the first round of the FA Youth Cup, MK Dons were drawn at home to Stevenage.
• The FA Youth Cup journey came to an end for MK Dons after a first-round tie at home to Stevenage.

January 2025

• Wing-back Brooklyn Ilunga signed on a permanent transfer to Bromley.

February 2025

• The Young Dons secured a spot in the semi-final of the Berks & Bucks County Cup, following a penalty shootout victory over Hungerford Town on Tuesday evening.

May 2025

• A young MK Dons XI took on West Ham in the Gwen & Jim Mann Academy Showcase Fixture at Stadium MK.

Released Academy Players (end of 2024/25)

Young Professionals Leaving the Club: Joel Anker, Ronnie Sandford (joined Millwall on a short-term deal, 7 November 2025), Charlie Stirland, Albert Wood.

Scholars Leaving the Club: Jesse Bedford, Joshua Clark-Anderson, Isaac Olaleye, Corvell Pickering.