Fleetwood Town Academy 2025–26 season showcasing progress along the EPPP development pathway for youth players.
Based in Lancashire, Fleetwood Town FC runs a category 2 academy
- Academy Manager: Jack Higgins
- Under-18 Head Coach: Mark Yeates
- Under-21 Head Coach: Phil Parkinson (Interim)
Fleetwood Town Retained List 2025
View the complete list of Fleetwood Town players who have been retained, released, or have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells.
Fleetwood Town Scholars 2025/26
Ten Academy players have agreed two-year scholarship deals with the Club ahead of the 2025/26 season.
- Alfie Wright (Goalkeeper)
- Kai Cherry (Defender)
- Harrison Buckley (Defender)
- Ellis Dunne (Defender)
- Chris Parton (Defender)
- Mathis Bamba (Midfielder)
- Matty English (Midfielder)
- Sam Kendrick (Midfielder)
- Finley Haselden (Forward)
- Fawaz Junaid (Forward)
Fleetwood Town Academy Players On Loan 2025/26
Youth players on loan.
- Owen Devonport (Forward) Halifax Town
- Crispin McClean (Midfielder) Curzon Ashton
- Stephen McMullan (Goalkeeper) Waterford FC
- Oliver Bellizia (Goalkeeper) Longridge Town
- Joseph Toole (Defender) Cliftonville
- Lucas Taylor (Forward) Hebburn Town; Blyth Spartans
- Will Johnson (Defender) Waterford
- Mikey Lane (Forward) Hereford
Fleetwood Town Academy Products in the First Team 2025/26
- Mikey Lane (Forward) #50
Fleetwood Town Academy International Players 2025/26
- Conor Haughey (Defender) Northern Ireland U19
- Jack Doherty (Midfielder) Northern Ireland U19
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
Fleetwood Town U17 will play against Under-17 teams from Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool and Carlisle United.
- Fleetwood Town U17 lost away against Carlisle United U17 (4 – 1)
- Fleetwood Town U17 lost at home against Blackpool U17 (2 – 4)
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.
Fleetwood Town U18 are drawn in Group E against under-18 teams: Blackpool, Stockport County and Wigan Athletic.
Fixtures Schedule (Group E)
- Match Round 1 (Tuesday 26 August 2025) Stockport County v Fleetwood Town
- Match Round 2 (Saturday 4 October 2025) Fleetwood Town v Wigan Athletic
- Match Round 3 (Saturday 22 November 2025) Blackpool v Fleetwood Town
U18 Professional Development League Cup Group Stage
- Fleetwood Town U18 lost away against Stockport County U18 (1 – 7)
- Fleetwood Town U18 lost away against Blackpool U18 (1 – 0)
FA Youth Cup
First Round Proper
Fleetwood Town U18 have been drawn at home against Stockport County U18
- Fleetwood U18 won at home against Stockport County U18 (2 – 1)
Second Round Proper
Fleetwood Town U18 have been drawn away against Rotherham United U18
- Fleetwood Town U18 won away against Rotherham United U18 (1 – 3)
- Kai Cherry
- Fawaz Junaid (2)
Third Round Proper
Fleetwood Town U18 have been drawn at home against Blackpool U18
- Fleetwood Town U18 won at home against Blackpool U18 (2 – 0)
- Fawaz Junaid
- Kai Cherry
Fourth Round Proper
Fleetwood Town U18 have been drawn at home against Aston Villa U18
- Fleetwood Town U18 lost at home against Aston Villa U18 (2 – 3)
- Adham Slater
- Jensen Stansfield
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.
Fleetwood Town Academy News
2nd July 2025
Fleetwood Town have secured the loan signings of Calum Costello and Zak O’Sullivan from affiliated club Waterford FC.
3rd July 2025
16-year-old midfielder Reece Wilkes has joined Championship side Norwich City from the Club for an undisclosed fee.
15th August 2025
Midfielder Jack Doherty has signed his first professional contract with Fleetwood Town.
The 18-year-old, who arrived at Town’s Academy from Derry City in August 2023, progressed to the U21 squad last season following an impressive two-year scholarship
4th November 2025
Fleetwood Town U18s will travel to face Rotherham United U18 in the FA Youth Cup second round on Tuesday, November 18th, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.
11th December 2025
Fleetwood Town U18s booked their place in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup with a 2-0 win over Blackpool.
They will face Doncaster Rovers or Aston Villa in the next round.
15th December 2025
Goalkeeper Stephen McMullan has committed his future to the club by signing a new two-and-a-half-year deal, which will see him remain at Highbury Stadium until the summer of 2028, with an option to extend for a further year.
22nd December 2025
Fleetwood Town will welcome Aston Villa U18 to Highbury Stadium for their Fourth Round tie on Tuesday 20 January, with kick-off at 7pm.
20th January 2026
Fleetwood Town U18s’ FA Youth Cup journey came to an end in the fourth round with a 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa U18s.
25th February 2026
Lucas Taylor has completed a permanent move to Blyth Spartans.
The forward joined from Sunderland AFC and featured regularly for Town’s U18s and U21s, scoring on the opening day of the 2025/26 U21 PDL season.