LIVERPOOL FC ACADEMY

The Academy

In 1998, a new state-of-the-art Youth Academy was opened in Kirkby, north Liverpool. It replaced the older, more informal youth system, and enables the club to focus their youth development and scouting, employing new techniques and FA standards.

It is overseen by Frank McParland. The Academy now allows the main training ground at Melwood to be kept solely for the first team squad and allows all the areas there to be kept in excellent condition. It also provides a stepping stone for youngsters to progress to the highest levels of football at Liverpool FC.

Scouts attend many local youth matches looking for talented boys. A boy will then be invited to attend training sessions at the Academy. They are taken in as young as the age of eight. Former England International player Jamie Carragher started at Liverpool FC when he was aged just nine, with Michael Owen joining at eleven,and Steven Gerrard joining at the age of eight. At this age, the boys start by simply attending after-school training sessions, but as they reach their middle-teens, their academic needs will be taken over by the Academy if they are deemed athletically talented enough. As such, the Academy has a lecture theatre and a computer-equipped classroom.

The Academy can handle up to twenty boys in each year group, although the actual number in each year group is usually around eighteen. Between the ages of eight and twelve the boys play in eight-a-side games of three twenty-minute periods. It allows the boys to play as defenders or as attackers in small groups within a system and is not as physically demanding as playing eleven-a-side matches.

There are four full-size grass pitches and one with a Polytan surface. There are also a further seven smaller pitches and an indoor arena. The grounds cover an area of 56 acres.

On the walls of the indoor centre hang the words 'Technique', 'Attitude', 'Balance' and 'Speed'. 'TABS' is the key word preached at The Academy.^[4]

Academy Partnerships

Liverpool FC/ the Academy has a number of soccer schools through partnerships with football clubs, commercial and sports organisations outside England:

Europe

• St. Kevin's Boys Football Club (Republic of Ireland)^[5]
• St Joseph's Boys Football Club (Republic of Ireland)
• Bray Wanderers (Republic of Ireland)^[6]
• K.R.C. Genk (Belgium)^[7]
• MTK Budapest (Hungary)
• Cyprus & Greece^[8]
• International Football Academy I Norge Norway^[9]
• International Football Academy Sweden^[10]
• International Football Academy Denmark^[11]
• Northern Ireland^[12]

The Americas

• Dynamo Juniors of Central Texas (United States of America)^[13]
• Harlequin Sports Academies (St. Vincent)^[14]

Middle East

• Madinaty Sporting Club (Egypt)^[15]

Asia

• International Academy and Soccer School (LFCIASS) (Indonesia)^[16]

Reserves (Under-21s)

The Under-21s play in the Professional Development League 1

As of 26 September 2012.Squad Numbers refer to players' first team squad number (for season 2012/13) where applicable. Reserve and youth games are 1–11.

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.   Position Player 12 FW Daniel Pacheco 22 DF Danny Wilson 35 DF Conor Coady 36 FW Samed Yesil 38 DF Jon Flanagan 42 GK Péter Gulácsi 43 DF Ryan McLaughlin 44 FW Jordon Ibe 45 DF Stephen Sama 46 DF Brad Smith 47 DF Andre Wisdom 48 FW Jerome Sinclair

No.   Position Player 49 DF Jack Robinson 50 FW Adam Morgan 51 FW Krisztián Adorján 52 GK Danny Ward   GK Jamie Stephens   DF Jakub Sokolik   MF Marc Pelosi   MF Craig Roddan   MF João Carlos Teixeira   FW Villyan Bijev   FW Michael Ngoo

Academy (Under-18s)

The following players are expected to play for the team during the Premier Academy League 2012-13.As of 20 July 2012

	Player	DOB	Position	International caps	Profile
3rd Year Academy (players born between 1 September 1993 and 31 August 1994)
	Tyrell Belford	6 May 1994 (age 18)	GK	Capped at Under-17 level	View
	Henoc John Mukendi	20 November 1993 (age 18)	FW	Capped at Under-18 level[17]	View
	Nacho (Juan Ignacio Huertas Ortiz)	16 December 1993 (age 18)	MF/FW	-	View
2nd Year Academy (players born between 1 September 1994 and 31 August 1995)
	Yalany Baio	10 October 1994 (age 18)	MF	-	View
	Jack Dunn	19 November 1994 (age 17)	MF	Capped at Under-18 level[18]	View
	Sam Gainford[19]	14 November 1994 (age 17)	MF/FW	-	View
	Jordan Lussey	2 November 1994 (age 17)	DF/MF	Capped at Under-18 level[20]	View
	Yusuf Mersin[21]	23 September 1994 (age 18)	GK	Capped at Under-17 level	View
	Kristoffer Peterson[22]	28 November 1994 (age 17)	MF/FW	Capped at Under-19 level	View
	Nathan Quirk	27 September 1994 (age 18)	MF	-	View
1st Year Academy (players born between 1 September 1995 and 31 August 1996)
	Cameron Brannagan	9 May 1996 (age 16)	MF	-	View
	Nathan Burke	15 September 1995 (age 17)	DF	-	View
	Daniel Cleary	10 March 1996 (age 16)	DF	Capped at Under-17 level[23]	View
	Ryan Crump	2 October 1995 (age 17)	GK	Capped at Under-17 level[24]	View
	Ryan Fulton[25]	1 January 1996 (age 16)	GK	Capped at Under-16 level	View
	Niall Heaton[26]	25 June 1996 (age 16)	DF	Capped at Under-16 level	View
	Lloyd Jones	7 October 1995 (age 17)	DF	Capped at Under-17 level	View
	Joe Maguire	18 January 1996 (age 16)	DF	-	View
	Alex O’Hanlon[27]	24 April 1996 (age 16)	DF	Capped at Under-17 level[28]	View
	Connor Randall	21 October 1995 (age 16)	MF	Called-Up at Under-17 level[29]	View
	Daniel Trickett-Smith[30]	10 September 1995 (age 17)	MF	-	View
	Michael Jordan Williams	6 November 1995 (age 16)	DF/MF	Capped at Under-19 level	View
Unknown Status
	Emin Altunay[31]	3 May 1996 (age 16)	-	-	-
	Armin Hodžić	17 November 1994 (age 17)	FW	Capped at Under-19 level[32]	-
Notable Under 16s
	Jack Alexander	-	DF	Capped at Under-16 level[33]	-
	Tom Brewitt	-	DF	Capped at Under-16 level[34]	-
	William Marsh	1 October 1996 (age 16)	FW	Capped at Under-16 level	-
	Oluwaseyi Ojo[35]	29 June 1997 (age 15)	MF	Capped at Under-17 level	-
	Conor Quigley[36]	-	DF	Capped at Under-16 level[37]	-
	Jordan Rossiter	24 March 1997 (age 15)	MF	Capped at Under-16 level	-
	Harry Wilson	-	MF	Capped at Under-16 level	-

Out on loan

Some of Liverpool's reserves and youth players are on loan at other clubs. See Liverpool F.C. players out on loan.

Staff

Current coaching staff

• Academy Director: Frank McParland
• Academy Technical Director: VACANT
• Reserve Team Manager: Rodolfo Borrell
• Reserve Fitness Coach: Andy O'Boyle
• Reserve Goalkeeping Coach: Mark Morris
• Academy Manager: Steve Cooper
• Academy Under 18's Fitness Coach: Remi Tang
• Academy Head of Education and Welfare and Under-15s Coach: Phil Roscoe
• Academy Development Coach Under-12s to Under-16s: VACANT
• Academy Foundation Coach Under 6's – Under 11's: Mike Garrity
• Pre-Academy Co-Ordinator: Steve Lawrence
• Academy Goalkeeping Coach: Peter Kennedy
• Academy Sport Scientist: Oliver Morgan
• Academy Physiotherapists: Andy Renshaw, Liam Kershaw, Richie Partridge^[38]
• Academy Recruitment Director: VACANT
• Academy Chief Scout: Dave Moss
• Academy local Recruitment Officer: Ian Barrigan

In addition, the reserves and academy employ staff from the first-team.

Reserve team manager history

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Bob Paisley (1954–1957)
• Joe Fagan (1971–1974)
• Roy Evans (1975–1984)
• Chris Lawler (1984–1986)^[39]
• Phil Thompson (1986–1992)
• Sammy Lee (1993–1998)
• Joe Corrigan (1998–2002)
• Hughie McAuley (2003–2006)
• Gary Ablett (2006–2009)
• John McMahon (2009–2011)
• José Segura (caretaker) (2011)
• Rodolfo Borrell (2011-)

Honours

Reserves

League Champions

• The Central League / Premier Reserve League North: 18
  • 1956–57, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1999–00, 2007–08

• Premier Reserve League National Champions: 1
  • 2007–08

• Lancashire Combination: 2
  • 1896–97, 1899–00

Cup Winners

• Liverpool Senior Cup: 40
  • 1893, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 (shared), 1912 (shared), 1913, 1915, 1920, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1934 (shared), 1936 (shared), 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1964 (shared), 1968, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982 (shared), 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010

• Lancashire Senior Cup: 11
  • 1919, 1920 (shared), 1924, 1931, 1933, 1944, 1947, 1956, 1959, 1973, 2010

• Liverpool Challenge Cup: 4^[40]
  • 1954, 1959, 1960, 1961

Youth Team

League Champions

• Premier Academy League U19: 1
  • 2001–02^[41]

• Premier Academy League U17: 1
  • 2001–02^[41]

• Lancashire League Division One: 6^[42]
  • 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1977–78, 1982–83

• Lancashire League Division Two: 7^[43]
  • 1961–62, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1992–93

• Lancashire League Division Three: 1^[44]
  • 1960–61

Cup Winners

• FA Youth Cup: 3
  • 1996, 2006, 2007

• Liverpool Youth Cup: 3^[45]
  • 1954, 1956, 1958

• Lancashire Division One League Cup: 3^[46]
  • 1960, 1966, 1967

• Lancashire Division Two League Cup: 5^[47]
  • 1962, 1966, 1967, 1973, 1980

• Lancashire Division Three League Cup: 1^[48]
  • 1961

Noted graduates

Liverpool's youth system has been successful over the years, many players who have come through it have gone on to feature in the first-team and make an impact.