Ipswich Town Academy 2025–26 season showcasing progress along the EPPP development pathway for youth players.
Based in East Anglia, Ipswich Town FC runs a category 1 academy
- Academy Director: Dmitri Halajko
- Under-21 Head Coach: John McGreal
Ipswich Town Retained List 2025
View the complete list of Ipswich Town players who have been retained, released, or have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells.
Ipswich Town Academy Players On Loan 2025/26
Youth players on loan.
- Jokūbas Mažionis (Defender) Cheltenham Town
- Tommy Taylor (Forward) Cheltenham Town; Woking
- Finlay Barbrook (Midfielder) Lincoln City; Colchester United
- Tyler Young (Midfielder) Chatham Town; Potters Bar Town
- Steven Turner (Midfielder) Wealdstone; Woking
- Rio Oudine-Morgan (Midfielder) Billericay; King’s Lynn; Havant & Waterlooville
- Henry Gray (Goalkeeper) Braintree Town; Harrogate Town
- Daniel Babb (Defender) AFC Sudbury
- Woody Williamson (Goalkeeper) Eastbourne Borough
- Abube Onuchukwu (Midfielder) Chelmsford City
- Ashley Boatswain (Forward) Woking
- George Barrett (Goalkeeper) Enfield Town
- Stevy Brouwers (Defender) Brantham Athletic; Heybridge Swifts
- Will Unadike (Forward) Lowestoft Town; Heybridge Swifts
- Jackson Nsofor (Forward) AFC Sudbury
- Cameron Humphreys (Midfielder) Huddersfield Town
- Nelson Eze (Midfielder) Dartford
- Will Fletcher (Goalkeeper) Brantham Athletic
- Leon Ayinde (Forward) Boreham Wood
Ipswich Town Academy Players in the First Team
- Finley Barbrook (Midfielder) #35
- Cameron Humphreys (Midfielder) #30
Ipswich Town Academy International Players 2025/26
Youth players in international duty.
- Somto Boniface (Defender) England U20
- Leon Ayinde (Forward) Ireland U21
Academy Competitions
U18 Premier League
The league divides teams into North and South groups for the U18s, calling it the U18 Premier League.
Ipswich Town Under-18 play in the South League
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
U17 and U18 Premier League Cup
In 2017, the Premier League introduced the U18 Premier League Cup and the U16 Premier League Cup, renaming the latter to the U17 Premier League Cup in 2020 for their respective age groups.
The seven group winners, along with the best runner-up determined by total points, goal difference, and then head-to-head record, will progress to the quarterfinals.
U17 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Ipswich Town U17 are drawn in Group G against under 17 teams from Norwich, Tottenham and West Ham.
- Ipswich Town U17 lost at home against West Ham U17 (0 – 4)
- Ipswich Town U17 lost away against Tottenham U17 (8 – 0)
- Ipswich Town U17 lost away against Norwich City U17 (4 – 1)
U18 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Ipswich Town U18 are drawn in Group E against under 18 teams from Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and West Ham.
- Ipswich Town U18 lost away against Nottingham Forest U18 (2 – 3)
- Jackson Chukwu-Nsofor (2)
- Ipswich Town U18 lost at home against Sunderland U18 (1 – 5)
- Roman Burton-Yurevich
- Ipswich Town U18 lost at home against West Ham U18 (0 – 5)
FA Youth Cup
Third Round Proper
Ipswich Town U18 have been drawn away against Sheffield United U18
- Ipswich Town U18 won away against Sheffield United U18 (1 – 3)
- Will Unadike
- Own Goal
- Charlie Wood
Fourth Round Proper
- Ipswich Town U18 won away against Bromley U18 (1 – 2)
- Will Unadike
- Nelson Eze
Fifth Round Proper
- Ipswich Town U18 lost away against Ipswich Town U18 (4 – 2)
- Charlie Compton
- Sidney Eldred
Premier League 2
Starting from the 2023 season, all 26 Category 1 teams compete in a single league using the Swiss-style format.
Entry into or removal from this league depends on meeting the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) accreditation criteria.
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
Premier League 2 Player of the Month
September 2025
- Tudor Mendel-Idowu (Nominee)
October 2025
- Luca Fletcher (Nominee)
- Woody Williamson (Nominee)
U21 Premier League Cup
The Premier League Cup was introduced in the 2013/14 season to enhance competition during the Professional Development Phase.
It added a knockout tournament alongside the regular league schedule. For the 2025/26 season, the format features nine groups.
The top team from each group automatically qualifies for the knockout stage, along with the seven best second-placed teams.
U21 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Ipswich Town U21 are drawn in Group C against under 21 teams from Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Preston North End.
- Ipswich Town U21 drew at home against Preston North End U21 (2 – 2)
- James Mauge (2)
- Ipswich Town U21 lost away against Charlton U21 (2 – 1)
- Josh Laqeretabua (OG)
- Ipswich Town U21 won away against Leicester City U21 (0 – 2)
- Luca Fletcher
- Nelson Eze
- Ipswich Town U21 won at home against Leicester City U21 (1 – 0)
- Luca Fletcher
- Ipswich Town U21 won at home against Charlton Athletic U21 (3 – 0)
- Josh Pitts
- Elkan Baggott
- Cameron Humphreys
- Ipswich Town U21 won away against Preston North End U21 (0 – 3)
- Jamie Mauge
- Leon Ayinde
Round of 16
- Ipswich Town U21 lost at home against Blackburn Rovers U21 (2 – 3)
- Josh Lewis
- Luca Fletcher
Ipswich Town Academy News
The Club has exercised its option to extend defender Elkan Baggott’s contract by an additional year, as the young defender returns from his loan spell with League One side Blackpool.
11th July 2025
Ipswich Town Academy has been officially awarded Category One status.
Following a successful audit by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC), the Academy has met all required standards and will begin operating at Category One level from the 2025/26 season.
28th August 2025
Former Ipswich Town academy midfielder Jude Robertson has earned a professional contract with Crawley Town following an impressive trial spell during pre-season.
3rd September 2025
Ipswich Town have secured the signing of promising forward Luca Fletcher. He arrives on an initial loan from Manchester City and will link up with Town’s U21 squad.
Tyler Young has followed in the footsteps of his father, Ashley, by joining Ipswich after his release from Peterborough United.
The 19-year-old has put pen to paper with the Tractor Boys’ U21s following a successful trial spell.
17th October 2025
Former Barnsley youth defender Oliver Wilkinson has joined Ipswich Town U21s.
7th November 2025
Ipswich Town defender Somto Boniface has received a call-up to the England U20 squad ahead of their upcoming match against Japan at Doncaster Rovers next Friday.
26th November 2025
Ipswich Town U18s will travel to face Sheffield United U18 in the FA Youth Cup third round on Thursday, December 11 at Bramall Lane, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.
11th December 2025
Ipswich Town U18s booked their place in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-1 win over Sheffield United. They will face Bromley in the next round.
24th December 2025
Jayden Adetiba has put pen to paper on his first professional contract at Portman Road, with the youngster agreeing a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club.
14th January 2026
Steven Turner has returned to Ipswich Town after his loan period came to an end at Wealdstone in the National League.
19th January 2026
Midfielder Abube Onuchukwu has returned to Ipswich Town following the conclusion of his loan deal with Chelmsford City.
12th February 2026
Ipswich Town U18s’ FA Youth Cup journey came to an end in the fourth round with a 4 – 2 defeat away to Everton U18s.
25th February 2026
Ashley Boatswain has completed a permanent move to Gateshead FC.
The striker made the switch following a series of successful loan spells, most recently spending the first half of the season on loan at Woking FC in the National League.
1st March 2026
Kellyan Olawole has signed his first professional contract with Ipswich Town.
The 17-year-old defender, currently a first-year academy scholar, has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club. ⚽