Professional Development League
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The Professional Development League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Football Association via the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012.[1]
The system was introduced in early 2012 and was active for the first time during the 2012–13 season. It is a successor to the Premier Reserve League, Premier Academy League and Football Combination. The Football League Youth Alliance makes up League 3 of the under 18 system. The system covers the under-18 and under-21 age groups.[1]
Previously, clubs participating in the Premier Reserve League (the highest level of reserve football in England) were removed from the competition if their first team in the Premier League were relegated and replaced with a promoted team. Under the Professional Development League system, Premier League reserves teams' league status is not directly linked to the first team's Premier League status. Instead, there are three different Professional Development Leagues at each age-group level and clubs in the top four tiers of the English football league system are placed in the system based on the assessment of their academy for the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).
Contents
U21 level
The U21 age-range was set up for the first time with the introduction of the Professional Development League. Teams are allowed to field three overage outfield players and one overage goalkeeper. League 3 clubs voted against introducing an U21 league, the northern based sides instead choosing to continue fielding reserve sides in the Central League.
League 1
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Current champions | Manchester United |
| Most championships | Manchester United (3 titles) |
 Current season |
|
League 1 is open to clubs with an EPPP category 1 academy. It is currently named the Barclays U21 Premier League under a sponsorship deal. The competition is split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation between each.
Champions
| Season | |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Manchester United |
| 2013–14 | Chelsea |
| 2014–15 | Manchester United |
| 2015–16 | Manchester United |
| Club | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 3 | 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| Chelsea | 1 | 2013–14 |
League 2
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Current champions | Huddersfield Town |
| Most championships | Four clubs (1 title) |
| Current season |
|
League 2 is open to clubs with an EPPP category 2 academy. It currently has no sponsored name. The competition is split into two regional divisions, with the overall champion determined after an end of season play-off series.
Champions
| Season | |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Charlton Athletic |
| 2013–14 | Crewe Alexandra |
| 2014–15 | Swansea City |
| 2015–16 | Huddersfield Town |
| Club | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 1 | 2012–13 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1 | 2013–14 |
| Swansea City | 1 | 2014–15 |
U18 level
The Professional Development U18 Leagues 1 and 2 replaced the Premier Academy League, with League 3 still being run under the auspices of the Football League Youth Alliance.
League 1
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Current champions | Manchester City |
| Most championships | Four clubs (1 title) |
| Current season |
|
League 1 is open to clubs with an EPPP category 1 academy. It is currently named the Barclays U18 Premier League under a sponsorship deal. The competition is split into two regional divisions, with the eventual champion winning a second league stage.
Champions
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Fulham |
| 2013–14 | Everton |
| 2014–15 | Middlesbrough |
| 2015–16 | Manchester City |
| Club | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 1 | 2012–13 |
| Everton | 1 | 2013–14 |
| Middlesbrough | 1 | 2014–15 |
| Manchester City | 1 | 2015–16 |
League 2
| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Current champions | Charlton Athletic |
| Most championships | Charlton Athletic (2 titles) |
| Current season |
|
League 2 is open to clubs with an EPPP category 2 academy. It currently has no sponsored name. The competition is split into two regional divisions, with the overall champion determined after an end of season play-off series.
Champions
| Season | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Queens Park Rangers |
| 2013–14 | Huddersfield Town |
| 2014–15 | Charlton Athletic |
| 2015–16 | Charlton Athletic |
| Club | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Charlton Athletic | 2 | 2014–15, 2015–16 |
| Huddersfield Town | 1 | 2013–14 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 2012–13 |
League 3
Champions
| Season | Division 1 North | Division 1 South |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Sheffield United | - |
| 1999–00 | Bury | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 2000–01 | Doncaster Rovers | Leyton Orient |
| 2001–02 | Tranmere Rovers | Brentford |
| 2002–03 | Tranmere Rovers | Brentford |
| 2003–04 | Oldham Athletic | Cambridge United |
| 2004–05 | Oldham Athletic | Cambridge United |
| Season | North-West Conference | North-East Conference | South-West Conference | South-East Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Oldham Athletic | Chesterfield | Yeovil Town | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 2006–07 | Oldham Athletic | Hull City | Oxford United | Queens Park Rangers |
| 2007–08 | Walsall | Hull City | Plymouth Argyle | Queens Park Rangers |
| 2008–09 | Wrexham | Chesterfield | Swindon Town | Southend United |
| 2009–10 | Preston North End | Hull City | Swindon Town | Millwall |
| 2010–11 | Rochdale | Chesterfield | Swindon Town | Queens Park Rangers |
| 2011–12 | Preston North End | Hull City | Plymouth Argyle | Queens Park Rangers |
| 2012–13 | Wrexham | Hull City | Bristol Rovers | Portsmouth |
| 2013–14 | Blackpool | Bradford City | Exeter City | Colchester United |
| 2014–15 | Bury | Bradford City | Bournemouth | Barnet |
