• Previewing Chelsea’s 2023-24 FA Youth Cup Challenge
  • Previewing The 2023-24 Chelsea Academy Season
  • The Chelsea Academy Class of 2023
  • The Loan Report: 2022-23 Season Review
  • Reflections On The 2022-23 Chelsea Academy Season

Under-21s: Kingstonian 0-1 Chelsea

With less than a week left until the Professional Development League kicks off, Chelsea’s Under-21 team continued their good form with a 1-0 win at Kingstonian on Saturday. A quite sublime 30-yard strike from Billy Clifford with seven minutes left on the clock secured a deserved win for Dermot Drummy’s side, who played well within themselves in the first match of a busy week. To that end, the squad was…

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Chelsea Set For Kingstonian On Saturday

Chelsea will send their Under-21 team to Kingstonian on Saturday afternoon for their fifth pre-season friendly of the summer. Dermot Drummy’s side will line up at the Cherry Red Records Fans’ Stadium with less than a week to go until the big kick-off in the new Professional Development League. Wins over Northampton Town and St Albans City in the past two outings have given the youngsters some momentum and they’ll…

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Further Chelsea NextGen Series Details Announced

The second season of the NextGen Series officially launched today, with further information about Chelsea’s involvement revealed. Earlier this summer, details of the draw were released as Chelsea were placed in Group C alongside last season’s runners-up Ajax, Norwegian outfit Molde, and CSKA Moscow of Russia. Provisional dates and details have been released today, particularly the details of the away games. Moscow beckons on October 3rd as the Blues face…

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Loftus-Cheek Set For Pro Deal as Under-18s Win Again

A busy youth team Monday saw 16 year-old midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek reveal that he is set to sign professional terms at Chelsea, whilst the Under-18 team continued their winning ways in pre-season. Loftus-Cheek, an England Under-16 captain who has spent the entire summer with Dermot Drummy’s Under-21 squad, posted on his Twitter account that he has signed a pre-contract agreement to turn professional on his 17th birthday in January of…

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Under-21s: St Albans City 0-3 Chelsea

Chelsea continued their positive pre-season form at Under-21 level on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 win away to St Albans City of the Southern League Premier Division. Early strikes from Patrick Bamford and Adam Coombes put the Blues firmly in control and after substitute goalkeeper Sam Walker kept out a second-half penalty from former Watford man Micah Hyde, John Swift capped a fine day’s work for Dermot Drummy’s side. Jamal…

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Conor Clifford Lined Up For Portsmouth Loan

Chelsea’s Irish Under-21 international midfielder Conor Clifford is set to join League One outfit Portsmouth on loan after appearing for the club on trial today. The 20 year-old played 45 minutes for Michael Appleton’s cash-strapped side against Bolton Wanderers and has firmly attracted interest ahead of the new campaign. Portsmouth are still under a transfer embargo and must shed three further first-team squad players – including former Chelsea defender Tal…

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The Generation Game

One of the biggest changes in football over the past 20 years, since the post-Italia 90 “gentrification” of the working man’s ballet, is how young fans become involved. Time was you were either taken by a (usually male) parent to watch the team they supported, or selected your team, gathered your like-minded mates together or set off on your own for the turnstiles, where you could pay on the day….

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The Professional Development League – What’s Going To Change?

You might have seen that earlier this week, news of the revamped structure for youth football in England was finally announced. Chief amongst the changes is the introduction of the Professional Development League; a three-tiered Under-21 competition ranked on academy grading designed at improving the quality of football between the ages of 18 and 21. Little more needs to be said about the failings of the old reserve system at…

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Details Of English Youth League Revamp Announced

The Elite Player Performance Plan and the associated restructuring of English youth football has been a subject hot on the agenda this summer. After a protracted negotiating and organising period, details have emerged today of the path forward from 2012-13 onwards. The old 40-team academy league, split into ten groups of four based roughly on locale has gone. In its place at the top level is a three-group, 23-team setup…

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Kane To Captain U21s As Chalobah & Hutchinson Prepare For Next Step

Todd Kane has been named Chelsea’s Under-21 team captain for the 2012-13 season, according to the club’s official website. The 18 year-old full-back was named as the man in possession of the armband in a piece published earlier this afternoon and follows him doing so away to Northampton Town last Saturday afternoon. It’s a positive reward for a player who has made huge strides of progress in the past two…

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