The Barnsley Academy 2025–26 season showcasing progress along the EPPP development pathway for youth players.
Barnsley FC runs a category 2 academy based in South Yorkshire
- Academy Manager: Bobby Hassell
Barnsley Retained List 2025
View the complete list of Barnsley players who have been retained, released, or have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells.
Barnsley Academy Players On Loan 2025/26
- Bayley McCann (Defender) Peterborough Sports
- Rogan Ravenhill (Goalkeeper) Leamington FC
- Ziggy Kozluk (Defender) Brighouse Town
- Aston Ellard (Forward) Stocksbridge Park Steels; Hemel Hempstead
- Tom Senior (Defender) Guisley AFC
- Ben Jordison (Defender) Stocksbridge Park Steels
- Leo Farrell (Forward) Guisley AFC; Scunthorpe United
- Connor Barratt (Defender) Galway United
- Fábio Jaló (Forward) Oldham Athletic
Barnsley Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26
- Vimal Yoganathan (Midfielder) #45
- Kieren Flavell (Goalkeeper) #51
- Robson Woodcock (Defender) #33
- Jonathan Bland (Midfielder) #30
- Connor Barratt (Defender) #29
Barnsley Academy International Players 2025/26
Young players on international duty
- Vimal Yoganathan (Midfielder) Wales U21
- Jonathan Bland (Midfielder) Wales U21
Barnsley Academy Competitions
U17 Professional Development League Cup
The U17 Professional Development League Cup is an English youth football tournament created for players aged 17 and under.
U17 PDL Cup Group Stage
Barnsley U17 will play against Under-17 teams from Stockport County, Mansfield Town and Grimsby Town.
- Barnsley U17 lost at home against Mansfield Town U17 (2 – 5)
- Barnsley U17 lost away against Stockport County U17 (3 – 0)
- Barnsley U17 won at home against Grimsby Town U17 (3 – 2)
U18 Professional Development League
The Under-18 Professional Development League is a leading English youth competition for Category Two academies, comprising 20 teams split into North and South regional divisions.
It delivers a high-level development pathway for promising players, combining league competition with a national play-off system.
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
U18 Professional Development League Cup
Established for the 2021/22 season, the Professional Development League Cup features 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.
The group winners advance to the knockout stages.
Barnsley U18 are drawn in Group F against under-18 teams: Grimsby Town, Hull City and Preston North End.
Fixtures Schedule (Group F)
- Match Round 1 (Tuesday 26 August 2025) Hull City v Barnsley
- Match Round 2 (Saturday 4 October 2025) Barnsley v Preston North End
- Match Round 3 (Saturday 22 November 2025) Grimsby Town v Barnsley
U18 Professional Development League Cup Group Stage
- Barnsley U18 lost away against Hull City U18 (2 – 0)
- Barnsley U18 won away against Preston North End U18 ((0 – 1)
- Barnsley U18 won away against Grimsby Town U18 (1 – 2)
FA Youth Cup
First Round Proper
Barnsley U18 have been drawn away against Macclesfield U18
- Barnsley U18 won away against Macclesfield U18 (0 – 5)
Second Round Proper
Barnsley U18 have been drawn at home against Mansfield Town U18
- Barnsley U18 lost at home against Mansfield Town U18 (0 – 1)
Professional Development League
Professional Development League 2—is England’s main youth competition for Category Two academies. It sits just below Premier League 2, providing Under-21 players with a key pathway toward first-team football.
The league is split into regional North and South divisions, with play-offs determining the national champion, and it offers a highly competitive platform for developing top young talent.
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup
Barnsley Academy News
15th July 2025
Four new players have joined Barnsley U21s this summer to strengthen the squad, with Aston Ellard (Coventry), Ben Jordison (Burnley), Kingston Simbai (Norwich City), and Nathan Willis (Blackburn Rovers) all arriving at Oakwell.
In addition, contract extensions have been secured for current Reds Bayley McCann, Ziggy Kozluk, Aaron Atkinson, Luke Alker, and Tom Senior.
18th August 2025
Voldi Mbaya and Lewis Gould have joined Barnsley’s under-21 squad.
Mbaya arrives following a spell in Sheffield Wednesday’s academy, while Gould links up with the Reds after gaining senior experience in non-league football with Crawley Down Gatwick FC.
13th September 2025
Barnsley FC have signed midfielder Stanley Holder, who links up with our U21s.
The Liverpool-born youngster developed at Everton before most recently playing for National League North side AFC Fylde.
17th October 2025
Barnsley academy defender Josh Kenchington, 15, has completed a move to Premier League giants Newcastle United.
4th October 2025
Barnsley U18s will host Mansfield Town U18 in the FA Youth Cup second round proper on Friday, November 14th, with kick-off at 7:00 pm.
14th November 2025
Barnsley’s FA Youth Cup second-round clash with Mansfield Town has been moved to Monday, 17 November, due to a yellow weather warning originally forecast for Friday.
17th November 2025
Barnsley U18s’ FA Youth Cup journey came to an end with a 0-1 defeat at home to Mansfield Town U18s.
17th May 2026
Arley Kay, Max Rayner, Robson Woodcock have all been offered professional contracts
Out of contract / released:
- Feyi Afuape
- Jake Andrassy
- Euan Cutler
- Kalaab Daniel
- Chrysolite Ogbu
- Charles Price
- Noah Ward
- Aston Wilson
- Jack Woodcock.