2021–22 Professional U23 Development League
The 2021–22 Professional U23 Development League was the tenth season of the Professional Development League system.
Nottingham Forest U23s and Birmingham City U23s both gained category one status. Manchester City U23s were the defending champions and successfully defend the title.[1] Leeds United U23s and Crystal Palace U23s were both promoted and Southampton U23s were relegated.
| Season | 2021-22 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Manchester City U23s (2nd Title) Division 2 Fulham U23s (1st Title) |
| Promoted | Fulham U23s Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s |
| Relegated | Leeds United U23s Derby County U23s |
| Matches | 395 (392 RS, 3 PO) |
| Goals | 1,289 (3.26 per match) (1,283 RS, 6 PO) |
| Top goalscorer | Overall James McAtee Manchester City U23s, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi Crystal Palace U23s (18 Goals Each) Division 1 James McAtee Manchester City U23s, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi Crystal Palace U23s (18 Goals Each) Division 2 Abu Kamara Norwich City U23s (15 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Nottingham Forest U23s 7–0 Reading U23s (21 February 2022) Manchester City U23s 7–0 Everton U23s (29 April 2022) |
| Biggest away win | Stoke City U23s 0–8 Aston Villa U23s (27 September 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Leeds United U23s 4–4 Blackburn Rovers U23s (24 September 2021) Stoke City U23s 0–8 Aston Villa U23s (27 September 2021) Arsenal U23s 3–5 Derby County U23s (26 November 2021) Blackburn Rovers U23s 3–5 Manchester City U23s (9 January 2022) Liverpool U23s 7–1 Tottenham Hotspur U23s (12 March 2022) Fulham U23s 5–3 Burnley U23s (1 May 2022) |
| Longest winning run | 6 Matches Manchester City U23s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 Matches Manchester City U23s |
| Longest winless run | 13 Matches Derby County U23s |
| Longest losing run | 6 Matches Derby County U23s |
| Highest attendance | 21,321 Leeds United U23s 1–3 Manchester City U23s (22 April 2022) League Record |
| Lowest attendance | 31 Crystal Palace U23s 1–1 Arsenal U23s (19 March 2022) |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
Premier League 2
Division 1
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City U23s (C) | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 65 | 32 | +33 | 54 |
| 2 | West Ham United U23s | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 48 |
| 3 | Arsenal U23s | 26 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 56 | 48 | +8 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool U23s | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 40 |
| 5 | Manchester United U23s | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 39 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur U23s | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 37 |
| 7 | Leicester City U23s | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 53 | −15 | 37 |
| 8 | Crystal Palace U23s | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 39 |
| 9 | Blackburn Rovers U23s | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 35 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion U23s | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 34 |
| 11 | Everton U23s | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 33 | 54 | −21 | 29 |
| 12 | Chelsea U23s | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 28 |
| 13 | Leeds United U23s (R) | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 27 |
| 14 | Derby County U23s (R) | 26 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 31 | 58 | −27 | 15 |
Results
Division 2
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham U23s (C, P) | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 64 | 27 | +37 | 62 |
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s (P) | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 47 |
| 3 | Stoke City U23s | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 43 |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest U23s | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 52 | 31 | +21 | 42 |
| 5 | Norwich City U23s | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 64 | 52 | +12 | 39 |
| 6 | Burnley U23s | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 39 |
| 7 | Southampton U23s | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 45 | 42 | +3 | 39 |
| 8 | Newcastle United U23s | 26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 51 | 56 | −5 | 38 |
| 9 | West Bromwich Albion U23s | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 35 |
| 10 | Aston Villa U23s | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 32 |
| 11 | Birmingham City U23s | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 34 | 51 | −17 | 26 |
| 12 | Middlesbrough U23s | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 31 | 50 | −19 | 26 |
| 13 | Sunderland U23s | 26 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 35 | 49 | −14 | 24 |
| 14 | Reading U23s | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 23 |
Results
Play-offs
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 1 (p) | |||||||
| 5 | Norwich City U23s | 1 | |||||||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 2 | ||||||||
| Stoke City U23s | 0 | ||||||||
| 3 | Stoke City U23s | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Nottingham Forest U23s | 0 | |||||||
Semifinals
| Stoke City U23s | 2–0 | Nottingham Forest U23s |
|---|---|---|
|
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 1–1 | Norwich City U23s |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–4 | ||
Final
| Wolverhampton Wanderers U23s | 2–0 | Stoke City U23s |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Hat-tricks
- As of 23 May 2022
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
Professional Development League
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Coventry City U23s (1st Title) |
| Regular Season Champions | Ipswich Town U23s (1st Title) |
| Matches | 203 (200 RS, 3 PO) |
| Goals | 682 (3.36 per match) (667 RS, 15 PO) |
| Top goalscorer | Fabio Tavares Coventry City U23s (17 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Hull City U23s 6–0 Coventry City U23s (20 November 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Barnsley U23s 0–7 Charlton Athletic U23s (24 August 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Bristol City U23s 6–2 Hull City U23s (1 September 2021) Coventry City U23s 5–3 Wigan Athletic U23s (18 October 2021) |
| Longest winning run | 8 Matches Ipswich Town U23s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 Matches Ipswich Town U23s |
| Longest winless run | 7 Matches Sheffield Wednesday U23s Queens Park Rangers U23s |
| Longest losing run | 5 Matches Queens Park Rangers U23s |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
The Professional Development League season is the tenth campaign of post-EPPP Under-23 football's second tier, designed for those academies with Category 2 status. A total of 17 teams are split regionally into north and south divisions, with each team facing opponents in their own region twice both home and away and opponents in the other region once resulting in 23 games for the North Division, and 24 games for the South Division. The sides finishing in the top two positions in both regions at the end of the season will progress to a knockout stage to determine the overall league champion. Birmingham City U23s are the defending national champions.
17 Teams competed in the league this season, a record low for the competition with 1 fewer team than last season. Birmingham City U23s,[32] the defending national champions would leave the league after 9 seasons alongside Nottingham Forest U23s[33] to join the Premier League 2 as Category One Academies. Both founding members of the league left after 9 seasons. Peterborough United U23s joined as a Category Two Academy joining the North Division.[34]
Tables
North Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield United U23s | 23 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 47 | 23 | +24 | 48 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
| 2 | Coventry City U23s | 23 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 43 | |
| 3 | Hull City U23s | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 40 | |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic U23s | 23 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 39 | −8 | 25 | |
| 5 | Crewe Alexandra U23s | 23 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 27 | 50 | −23 | 23 | |
| 6 | Peterborough United U23s | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 41 | −5 | 22 | |
| 7 | Barnsley U23s | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 42 | −20 | 22 | |
| 8 | Sheffield Wednesday U23s | 23 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 20 |
South Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ipswich Town U23s | 24 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 58 | 27 | +31 | 51 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
| 2 | Bristol City U23s | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 60 | 31 | +29 | 50 | |
| 3 | Cardiff City U23s | 24 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 44 | 30 | +14 | 47 | |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic U23s | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 36 | |
| 5 | Millwall U23s | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 30 | |
| 6 | Colchester United U23s | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 29 | |
| 7 | Watford U23s | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 25 | |
| 8 | Swansea City U23s | 24 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 24 | |
| 9 | Queens Park Rangers U23s | 24 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 24 |
Knock-out stage
Semi-finals
Final
| Bristol City U23s | 2–3 | Coventry City U23s |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Hat-tricks
- As of 17 May 2022
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
See also
References
- ^ "Man City confirmed as PL2 champions". Premier League. 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "Premier League 2 Division One". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "Premier League 2 table". Premier League. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "PREMIER LEAGUE 2 DIVISION TWO". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Southampton v Norwich City". Premier League. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: West Ham United v Arsenal". Premier League. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers". Premier League. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur". Premier League. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Manchester United v Manchester City". Premier League. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion". Premier League. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Chelsea v Arsenal". Premier League. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sunderland". Premier League. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S: STOKE CITY 0-8 ASTON VILLA". Aston Villa. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Manchester City v Leicester City". Premier League. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S: ASTON VILLA 2-3 SUNDERLAND". Aston Villa. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Reading v Sunderland". Premier League. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Derby County v Blackburn Rovers". Premier League. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United". Premier League. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Arsenal v Derby County". Premier League. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "Norwich City U23 5-2 Reading U23: Match Report". The Tilehurst End. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Crystal Palace v West Ham United". Premier League. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: West Bromwich Albion v Middlesbrough". Premier League. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Blackburn Rovers v Brighton & Hove Albion". Premier League. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "NEWCASTLE U23 1-6 FULHAM U23". Fulham. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Nottingham Forest v Reading". Premier League. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Reading". Premier League. 28 February 2022.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Burnley v Newcastle United". Premier League. 8 April 2022.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Newcastle United v Southampton". Premier League. 25 April 2022.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Fulham v Burnley". Fulham. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Blackburn Rovers v Brighton & Hove Albion". Premier League. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Crystal Palace v Derby County". Premier League. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "Birmingham City's academy receives huge boost - what it means for Blues' future". Birmingham Mail. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "FOREST ACADEMY SECURES CATEGORY 1 STATUS FOR 2021-22 SEASON". Nottingham Forest FC. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "Club Attain Category Two Status". The Posh. 24 July 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bristol City v Hull City". Youth Hawk. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Sheffield Wednesday v Peterborough United". Youth Hawk. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Coventry City v Wigan Athletic". Youth Hawk. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Cardiff City v Charlton Athletic". Youth Hawk. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Barnsley v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Ipswich Town". Youth Hawk. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Hull City v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Hull City v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Bristol City v Millwall". Youth Hawk. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Crewe Alexandra v Bristol City". Youth Hawk. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Sheffield United v Colchester United". Youth Hawk. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Charlton Athletic". Youth Hawk. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ^ "U23S Match Summary: Charlton Athletic v Cardiff City". Youth Hawk. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2025.