Aston Villa Academy

Aston Villa FC runs a category 1 academy based in the Midlands. They have an elite youth development program that nurtures young talent.

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; Aston Villa’s Under-18s play in the South League.
• U17 & U18 Premier League Cup – introduced by the Premier League in 2017; 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.
• U19 UEFA Youth League – the leading club competition for academy-age footballers worldwide, mirroring the format of the UEFA Champions League group stage. When eligible, Aston Villa’s Under-19s compete in the tournament.
• Premier League 2 – since 2023, all Category One academies play in a single Swiss-style league (29 clubs in 2025/26), with entry and removal governed by Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) accreditation criteria.
• Vertu Trophy (EFL Trophy) – a midweek knockout competition for EFL League One and League Two clubs, plus 16 invited Premier League and Championship clubs with Category One academies, regionalised from the group stage through to the quarter-finals.
• Birmingham Senior Challenge Cup – a county knockout competition contested by Aston Villa’s Under-21s alongside senior sides from across the West Midlands.

2025/26 Season

The Academy enters the 2025/26 season under Academy Manager Mark Harrison and Under-18 Lead Coach Richard Beale.

In June 2025, Jimmy Shan was appointed the club’s new Under-21 Head Coach, succeeding Josep Gombau.

Scholars 2025/26

Rhys Oakley (Goalkeeper), Theo Houston (Goalkeeper), Finlay Barnard (Defender), Harry Pinnell (Defender), Clay Atkins (Midfielder), Farid Addey (Midfielder), Lennon Mulhuish (Midfielder)

Jahmi Kellyman (Midfielder), Jack McGrath (Midfielder), Oliver Bindley (Forward), Markie Meade (Forward), Rio Hammond (Forward), Tay’veon Smithen (Forward).

Academy Players on Loan 2025/26

• Josh Feeney (Defender) – Huddersfield Town
• Tommi O’Reilly (Midfielder) – Crewe Alexandra
• Oliwier Zych (Goalkeeper) – Raków Częstochowa
• Finley Munroe (Defender) – Swindon Town
• Louie Barry (Forward) – Sheffield United
• Sil Swinkels (Defender) – Exeter City; Chesterfield
• Sam Lewis (Goalkeeper) – Oxford City
• I-Lani Edwards (Midfielder) – Hereford
• Kerr Smith (Defender) – Barrow
• Trai-Varn Mulley (Forward) – Stourbridge
• Ewan Simpson (Midfielder) – Hamilton Academical
• Tristan Rowe (Defender) – Annecy
• Zépiqueno Redmond (Forward) – Huddersfield Town
• Thierry Katsukunya (Defender) – Real Unión
• Matt Lott (Midfielder) – Stratford Town
• Aidan Borland (Midfielder) – Swindon Town
• Ashton McWilliams (Defender) – Morecambe
• Kane Taylor (Midfielder) – Oldham Athletic
• Charlie Pavey (Midfielder) – Hereford
• Kadan Young (Forward) – Reading
• Jamaldeen Jimoh (Midfielder) – West Bromwich Albion
• Ben Broggio (Forward) – Falkirk
• Lino Sousa (Defender) – Rotherham United

Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26

Bradley Burrowes (Midfielder, #83), Leo Routh (Defender, #56), George Hemmings (Midfielder, #53).

International Players 2025/26

• Heaven Kilwa (DF) – England U16
• Joshua Blake (FW) – England U16
• Alvin Brown (DF) – England U16
• Oscar Johnson (MF) – England U16
• Olly Lloyd (MF) – England U16
• Fabian Williams (DF) – Wales U16
• George Thomas (DF) – Wales U16
• Lennon Moss (MF) – Wales U17
• Jahmi Kellyman (FW) – Northern Ireland U17
• Kachinga Siame (FW) – Zambia U17
• Brian Madjo (FW) – England U17
• Bradley Burrowes (MF) – England U17; U18
• Calum Moreland (DF) – Northern Ireland U19
• Alfie Lynskey (MF) – Ireland U19
• Keilan Quinn (MF) – Ireland U19
• Fletcher Boyd (MF) – Scotland U19
• Jack McGrath (MF) – Scotland U19
• George Hemmings (MF) – England U19
• Sam Proctor (GK) – England U20
• Jamaldeen Jimoh (MF) – England U20
• Kadan Young (FW) – England U20
• Yeimar Mosquera (DF) – Colombia U20
• Aidan Borland (MF) – Scotland U21
• Rory Wilson (FW) – Scotland U21
• Cole Brannigan (FW) – Northern Ireland U21

2025/26 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Premier League Cup, Aston Villa’s Under-17s were drawn in Group C against Under-17 sides from Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City.

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

Also in the Vertu Trophy, the Under-21s were drawn in Southern Group F against Crawley Town, Leyton Orient and Peterborough United.

Season Timeline

June 2025

• Jimmy Shan was appointed the club’s new Under-21 Head Coach, succeeding Josep Gombau, who left the club.

July 2025

• Kaine Kesler Hayden completed a move to Coventry City for an undisclosed fee; the defender had previously gained experience on loan with Swindon Town, MK Dons, Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, and most recently Preston North End.
• Young defender TJ Carroll signed his first professional contract with the club.
• Villa secured the signing of promising young striker Zépiqueno Redmond, who joined after his contract with Feyenoord came to an end.
• Defender Ashton McWilliams, who has been with Aston Villa since the age of nine, signed his first professional contract with the club.
• Thierry Katsukunya signed a new contract with the club.
• Academy forward Trai-Varn Mulley signed his first professional contract with the club.
• Max Lott signed his first professional contract with the club.

August 2025

• Ronnie Hollingshead signed his first professional contract with the club; the Welsh Under-21 international joined up with the Young Lions for the season, having caught the eye of the coaching team at Bodymoor Heath with his performances.

September 2025

• Fletcher Boyd was poised to complete a move from Aberdeen to Aston Villa for a substantial but undisclosed fee; the 17-year-old Scotland Under-16 international had featured 13 times for Aberdeen’s senior side.
• Oliver Bindley signed his first professional contract with the club; the attack-minded midfielder, who agreed scholarship terms with the Villans in the summer, had featured in all four Under-18 matches so far that season.

October 2025

• Aston Villa’s Under-16 team secured a place in the Premier League National Tournament Finals, following group-stage wins against Brighton and Ipswich; the Finals were set to take place during the first week of November at St George’s Park.
• Midfielder Bradley Burrowes was called up to the England Under-17 squad for the 2025 World Cup in Qatar.
• Aston Villa were drawn away to Coventry Sphinx in the second round of the Birmingham Senior Cup, with the tie set to be played on or before Saturday 22 November.
• Academy defender Heaven Kilwa and forwards Oscar Johnson and Joshua Blake earned a call-up to the England Under-16 squad for the Football Federations Cup in Antalya, Türkiye.
• Jahmi Kellyman was selected for the Northern Ireland squad ahead of their Under-17 Euro Qualifiers, facing Armenia, Cyprus and Finland.

November 2025

• Aston Villa’s Under-19s booked their spot in the third round of the UEFA Youth League, setting up a clash with Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar, with a place in the following year’s Round of 32 on the line.
• Aston Villa finalised the signing of 14-year-old centre-back Levi Rufus from Charlton Athletic, who joined their Under-16 team.
• Dan Adediran was named Player of the Tournament at the Under-16 Premier League National Tournament.
• Teddie Bloomfield signed his first professional contract with Aston Villa.
• Keilan Quinn, who joined the Academy from West Bromwich Albion the previous year, signed a new contract with Aston Villa.

December 2025

• Aston Villa’s Under-21s were eliminated from the Birmingham Senior Cup, following their tie away to Coventry Sphinx.
• Academy defender Leon Routh signed a new contract with the club.
• Aston Villa’s Under-19s’ European campaign concluded, as they were eliminated from the UEFA Youth League by AZ Alkmaar.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, setting up a tie against Fleetwood Town.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s were confirmed to travel to Highbury Stadium to face Fleetwood Town in their fourth-round tie on Tuesday 20 January.

January 2026

• Finley Munroe was recalled from his loan spell at Swindon Town and has since completed a move to Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee; Munroe joined Villa’s Academy from Chelsea in July 2021 and signed his first professional contract the following year.

February 2026

• Aston Villa’s Under-16s were crowned winners of the Under-16 Ehiogu Memorial Tournament, which also featured Liverpool, Fulham, Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United.
• Fletcher Boyd agreed a new contract with Aston Villa; the midfielder had joined the Villans in summer 2025 from Aberdeen FC, where he made 13 senior appearances.

March 2026

• Cole Brannigan signed a new contract with the club; the midfielder had joined Villa from Linfield in the summer of 2023, before signing his first professional deal a year later.
• Bradley Burrowes signed a new contract with Aston Villa.

June 2026

• Max Jenner signed a new contract with the club; the midfielder, an England youth international, featured heavily for the Under-21s the previous season, having signed his first professional contract in April 2025.

2024/25 Season

Aston Villa’s Academy enjoyed a highly successful 2024/25 season, winning trophies, facing top European sides, defeating Football League teams, and giving several young players the chance to make their senior team debuts.

The Under-18s were the main highlight with a treble-winning season, crowned FA Youth Cup champions, Premier League South champions, and Premier League South play-off champions, as the club continued to grow its strong reputation as one of the best academies in the country.

Josep Gombau served as Under-21 Head Coach throughout the campaign.

Scholars 2024/25

Jack Allan (Goalkeeper), Jacob Green (Defender), Junior Wilson (Defender), Rodrigo Fortes (Defender), Teddie Bloomfield (Defender), Woody Burgess (Midfielder), Alfie Lynskey (Midfielder)

Keilan Quinn (Midfielder), Cole Ramsey (Forward), Max Jenner (Forward), Bradley Burrowes (Forward), Elijah Briscoe (Forward), Vinnie Hayward (Forward).

Academy Players on Loan 2024/25

• Tommi O’Reilly (Midfielder) – Shrewsbury Town; MK Dons
• Louie Barry (Forward) – Stockport County; Hull City
• Josh Feeney (Defender) – Shrewsbury Town
• Filip Marschall (Goalkeeper) – Crewe Alexandra
• Lewis Dobbin (Forward) – West Bromwich Albion; Norwich City
• Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Defender) – Preston North End
• Lino Sousa (Defender) – Bristol Rovers
• Rico Richards (Midfielder) – Port Vale
• Yeimar Mosquera (Defender) – Real Unión
• James Wright (Goalkeeper) – Real Unión
• Finley Munroe (Defender) – Real Unión
• Kobei Moore (Forward) – Fleetwood Town
• Sil Swinkels (Defender) – Bristol Rovers
• Travis Patterson (Defender) – MK Dons
• Kadan Young (Forward) – Royal Antwerp

Academy Graduates in the First Team 2024/25

Oliwier Zych (Goalkeeper, #48), Sil Swinkels (Defender, #50), Aidan Borland (Midfielder, #54), Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba (Midfielder, #56), Travis Patterson (Defender, #66), Kadan Young (Forward, #72), Lamare Bogarde (Defender, #26), Sam Proctor (Goalkeeper, #52).

International Players 2024/25

• Murphy Junior – England U15
• Olly Lloyd – England U15
• Oscar Johnson – England U15
• Alvin Brown – England U15 Camp
• Vincent Mudame – England U15 Camp
• Murphy Iyeli – England U15 Camp
• Heaven Kilwa (FW) – England U15
• Josh Blake – England U15
• Freddie Lawrie (MF) – England U16
• Daniel Adediran (FW) – England U16
• Lennon Moss (DF) – Wales U16; U17
• Farid Addey – Sweden U16
• Bradley Burrowes (MF) – England U17
• Jack McGrath (FW) – England U17
• Charlie Pavey (MF) – Sweden U17
• Owen Asemota (GK) – England U17
• Max Jenner (MF) – England U17
• Rodrigo Fortes (DF) – Portugal U18
• Keilan Quinn (MF) – Ireland U18
• Benjamin Broggio (FW) – England U18
• Leon Routh (DF) – England U18
• George Hemmings (MF) – England U18
• Aidan Borland (MF) – Scotland U19
• Sam Proctor (GK) – England U19
• Kadan Young (FW) – England U19
• Triston Rowe (DF) – England U19
• Rory Wilson (FW) – Scotland U19
• Callum Moreland (DF) – Northern Ireland U19
• Cole Brannigan (MF) – Northern Ireland U19
• Yeimar Mosquera (DF) – Colombia U20
• Omar Khedr (FW) – Egypt
• Lamare Bogarde (DF) – Netherlands U21
• Thierry Katsukunya (DF) – Wales U21

2024/25 Tournament Groupings

In the U17 Premier League Cup, Aston Villa’s Under-17s were drawn in Group D against Under-17 sides from Derby County, Wolves and Leicester City.

For the U18 Premier League Cup, the Under-18s were drawn in Group E against Fulham, Middlesbrough and Wolves.

In the U19 UEFA Youth League, the Under-19s were grouped with Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Bologna, Club Brugge, Juventus and RB Leipzig.

Season Timeline

November 2024

• Aston Villa were drawn at home to either Accrington Stanley or Blyth Spartans in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.
• Keilan Quinn made a memorable senior debut for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly fixture against Croatia.
• Blackpool were confirmed to host Aston Villa’s Under-21s in the Round of 32 of the Vertu Trophy.
• Aston Villa were confirmed to play Accrington Stanley at home in the third round of the FA Youth Cup, following Accrington’s progression past Blyth Spartans.
• Left-back Rodrigo Fortes signed his first professional contract with the club.

December 2024

• Centre-back Leon Routh officially signed his first professional contract with Aston Villa.
• A strong victory over Accrington Stanley’s Under-18s at Bodymoor Heath secured Villa’s spot in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
• Aston Villa’s Under-19s secured a 15th-place finish in the UEFA Youth League’s initial phase, meaning their Round of 32 opponent would be one of the winners from the Domestic Champions Path play-offs, with the draw scheduled for 20 December.
• In the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup, Aston Villa were drawn away to Newcastle United.
• Aston Villa were confirmed to face Puskás Akadémia away in the next round of the UEFA Youth League.
• Aston Villa’s Under-21s were confirmed to face Bradford City in the Vertu Trophy, with the tie scheduled for Tuesday 14 January at Villa Park.
• 17-year-old midfielder Alfie Lynskey officially signed his first professional contract with the club.

January 2025

• Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba was named in the Premier League squad for the first time.
• The UEFA Youth League Round of 32 match against Puskás Akadémia was scheduled for Wednesday 12 February, in Hungary.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s progressed to the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup, following their tie against Newcastle United.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s were set to face Bristol City in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup at Bodymoor Heath, on Tuesday 4 February.

February 2025

• Aston Villa’s Under-18s advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup, following their tie against Bristol City.
• Aston Villa’s Under-19s were confirmed to host FC Barcelona’s Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League Round of 16.
• The Young Lions were set to take on Plymouth Argyle in the quarter-final of the FA Youth Cup on Friday 14 March, at Villa Park.

March 2025

• Aston Villa exited the UEFA Youth League in the Round of 16, following their tie against FC Barcelona at Villa Park.
• Bradley Burrowes signed his first professional contract with Aston Villa.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup, following their tie against Plymouth Argyle.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s were confirmed to host Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup at Villa Park, on Monday 31 March.
• Villa’s Under-18s advanced to the FA Youth Cup final, following their tie against Manchester United.

April 2025

• Rory Wilson signed a new contract with the club; the talented Scotland youth international had been a consistent presence for the Under-21s throughout the season.
• Kobei Moore continued to develop during his loan spell at Fleetwood Town.

May 2025

• Aston Villa’s Under-18s were crowned the 2024/25 FA Youth Cup champions, following their final against Manchester City’s Under-18s — a particularly remarkable triumph given Manchester City had come into the final unbeaten in their previous 26 matches.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s were confirmed as Premier League South champions.
• Aston Villa’s Under-18s secured victory in the Premier League South play-off final against Manchester City’s Under-18s, completing a treble-winning season.
• George Hemmings committed his future to the club by signing a long-term contract extension; he had joined Villa from Nottingham Forest in January 2024 and signed his first professional deal just three months after his arrival.
• Ewan Simpson signed a contract extension with Aston Villa, following an injury-disrupted 2024/25 season.
• Rico Richards completed a permanent move to Port Vale, where he had spent the 2024/25 season on loan.
• Aidan Borland signed a new long-term contract with Aston Villa.

June 2025

• Aidan Borland was named Villa’s 2024/25 Scholar of the Year.

Released Academy Players (end of 2024/25)

Todd Alcock (joined South Shields), Mikell Barnes, Ajani Burchall, Charlie Lutz (joined Cork City), Kobei Moore (joined Larne FC), Kyrie Perre (joined Brentford B), Rico Richards, Max Asante-Boakye (joined Sheffield United U21), Alex Hammond, Max Lott, Nile Timson.