It was a year of progress for our Academy in 2024, including First Team debuts, positive results and development, as well as growth off the field.
Taking momentum into the new calendar year, we take a look back at 2024 for City’s Academy…
POSITIVE REFLECTION
The highlights of 2024 were contributed to by a range of dedicated Academy staff, whose work compliment each others, with Academy Manager Gavin Chesterfield reflecting positively on the progress made.
"It was a very positive calendar year," he said. "There are some clear and obvious metrics in terms of the boys that are getting in and around the First Team at the moment and other Academy graduates becoming more established. For me, the other metrics are about successful loans for example, at good levels, which we worked hard to secure. There are stuff that people don't see, like the amount of training opportunities our Academy players get with the First Team, the chance to be in and around the squad and grow alongside senior players. They are huge positives for me.
"Our ultimate strapline is to provide a life-enriching journey, where everyone achieves their own version of success. From an education and societal, but also a footballing perspective, I feel that doing some good work in this area.
"The staff work so hard and they've had to have a real growth mindset because we've changed a few things together and have put some things in place to make us better for the future. The staff have been fantastic and they deserve so much credit for their daily work. I see the quality of their work, and as a Club we're lucky to have the people that we have, because they care not only about the Club but also all the players."
U21s MAKING PROGRESS
Our U21s side made strides in 2024, with First Team debuts for Luey Giles, Ronan Kpakio, Cody Twose, Isaac Jefferies, Adeteye Gbadehan, Michael Reindorf and Cian Ashford, who memorably netted the winning goal on his first start against Southampton.
This season, the side have gained experience in men’s football, reaching the semi-final of the Nathaniel MG Cup, as well as competing admirably in the PDL and Premier League Cup.
Reflecting on the calendar year, U21 coach Matthew Bloxham said: “I think there are plenty of success stories over the year, whether that’s numerous debuts and goals in the First Team, positive loan moves that add to the players’ experience and the U21s and U18s respectively doing well with some great results. The Academy is always progressing and always moving forward, but we feel that we’re in a good place and we’re ready to kick on again next year.
“We want to give players the platform and the opportunity to play at a higher level. What the players have showcased has been positive and now the challenge is to determine who’s going to be the next one to come through.
"The boys, not just recently, but all season, have been excellent. It’s just a case of needing to continue to do what we’re good at, stick to our values and the way that we want to play. If we do that, we put ourselves in a great position to continue to progress.”
VALUING HUMILITY
Along with the U21s’ success, there has also been progress at U18s level both on and off the field.
With many players making the transition to U18s football at the start of this season, the squad has adapted well to the step up.
“We reflect really positively on the year from an U18s perspective,” U18 Head Coach Tom Hutton said. “The first couple of months of the season is about the boys getting used to full time football, particularly the first years; I think they’ve adapted positively. It’s also been about establishing the way that we want to play as a team and ensuring that we’re challenging our individuals appropriately.
"We’ve got a lot of U18s playing consistently in the U21s, which shows there is a pathway for players to step up when they’re ready. From a team perspective, there has been a lot of progress, but most importantly there is individual development taking place every day. Seeing the boys improve and grow each day is what drives us.
“Our job is to guide them to what we believe are the professional standards required and the scholarship is an important part of that. As coaches and staff, we have a real opportunity to shape them as footballers, but also as people. We put a lot of emphasis on a values-driven approach. We want to instil that into the boys every day with the right behaviours and what we expect of them; holding them accountable to high standards is important.
"As coaches, we have a lot of responsibility in that, but all the other staff deserve credit. The education department, with Andy [Price] and Oli [Linton], take the boys out into local primary schools where they’ve coached young players. The boys have also had work experience at the stadium for the Preston North End game earlier in the month, so they’re learning the values that we feel are important. A key one is humility. That will only drive standards and work ethic daily.”
PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
As well as making improvements on the pitch, City’s prospects have also made progress off it.
Across the Academy, players are continuing their studies on a range of subjects in their A-Level and GCSE qualifications, supported by the talented Education department at the Club.
The players have also taken part in a range of activities to promote their development, including a Green Mile Training Camp, contributing to the Maple Fields Project, undergoing work experience on First Team matchday, as well as working on their coaching badges.
Head of Education, Oli Linton, said: “I’m really pleased with the progress that the boys have made in 2024. They have shown great application to their studies and the importance of that cannot be understated. It’s really positive to see how much they have developed both on and off the field over the course of the year, which is a testament to the work of the whole Academy. There have been specific activities that have been organised throughout the year to further the players’ development and teach them the values that are important to us as a Club, which have all been very beneficial.”
SIGNIFICANT SILVERWARE
One of the standout moments of 2024 was our U15s winning the EFL Floodlit Cup in May at Cardiff City Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Burton Albion.
The young Bluebirds defeated Cambridge United, Swansea City and Plymouth Argyle in the previous rounds of the competition, prior to winning the Final.
After the game, coach Réda Johnson said: “Maybe I’m not selfish enough, but I’m so happy, so buzzing for the boys. They did everything that we asked them to do as the staff. It’s all for them. It’s not about the staff, it’s about them tonight. I was buzzing for them. As an Academy tonight, we won."
Our U16s also gained a piece a silverware, as they won the Heston International Tournament.
The group stages were played in the form of three 40-minute matches, with the young Bluebirds falling to a 1-0 defeat to Millwall, before defeating Lillestrom SK from Norway 3-1. In their final group match, the side claimed a 3-3 draw against Dutch side Excelsior Rotterdam to book a place in the semi-finals.
Facing Supra Football Academy from Canada, a 1-0 win saw City progress to the final, where they re-played Millwall. With the match in normal time ending 1-1, the young Bluebirds won a penalty shootout to lift the trophy, as City’s Rob Tankiewicz was named Player of the Tournament.
On his side’s success, Johnson added: “It was a good experience for the boys. I think that at this age they should be playing in tournaments as often as possible, so playing against international teams was good, and it was even better to win it. For Robert to get Player of the Tournament was great for him and for the Club. It’s important to have that winning attitude even if winning isn’t the most important thing at this age.”
VARIETY IS KEY
In the foundation phase, the young Bluebirds' development is heightened by a variety in the games programme.
City's age-grade sides are regularly competing with top academies in the Corey Price Cup, as well as gaining experience of playing small-sided games and futsal.
The latter has brought recent success, with our U11s winning a Premier League Futsal tournament in Hartpury College, claiming victory in all six fixtures, as well as our U9s winnng the Regional Futsal Qualifier and earning a place in the Nationals in March 2025.
Reflecting on the year, Lead Foundation coach Lawrence Hallett said: "The games programme we have, the cornerstone of that is the Corey Price Cup, which we're doing well in in all age groups. That is a benchmark for us against the best academies. As an example, our U9s this year will have played futsal, 5, 6 and 7-a-side tournaments, so the variety they get in terms of opponents is immense. The other bit that is important is that we have the regular games programme, we have these periodic tournaments, it's competitive football and it's high intensity.
"From my experience of working with the players, they enjoy it most when they're engaged. They love competitiveness and it's a natural thing for them. You see the enjoyment and immersion in the players. All we can do is work hard to make sure the engagement is there."