Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Reserves and Academy

The Huddersfield Town reserves competed in The Central League Division One East until the 2009–10 season when the Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark chose not to enter a reserve team in the Central League during the 2010-11 season, instead planning a series of high quality friendlies. Clark stated that "the idea of reserve team football is to bridge the gap between youth team and first team football" and that "[we] have faced a lot of very young sides in the reserve league this season and that will not provide our own young professionals with the test they need".[1]

Whilst playing at reserve league level, the reserves split their home games between A.F.C. Emley's Welfare Ground and the Galpharm Stadium.

First team coach Paul Stephenson was the last serving reserve team manager.

Lee Clark saw through his idea to discontinue the reserve team, and subsequently created the club's development squad, to be managed by development coach Steve Watson. Following a behind-closed-doors game at Doncaster Rovers, Watson described the team's games as "working very well", "from both perspectives – fitness for our first team squad members and as a way of integrating the younger players into a higher level of football."[2]

When Lee Clark left as manager of the first team on 15 February 2012, his coaching staff (including Watson) also left the club.[3] On 12 April 2012, the club appointed former Manchester City Elite Development Squad leader and Rochdale first team manager Steve Eyre as the club's Senior Professional Development Coach.[4]

Most fixtures have so far been played at the club's training ground, Canalside, but occasionally the Galpharm Stadium has been used to host Development Squad games that are open to the public.[5]

From the 2012–13 season Huddersfield's development squad will compete in the newly formed Under 21 Professional Development League in the League 2 North Division, the league was set up as part of the wide-reaching Elite Player Performance Plan, Town will be one of 12 clubs in the Category Two Northern section along with Crewe Alexandra, Barnsley, Birmingham City, Coventry City, Derby County, Leeds United, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Wigan Athletic. The fixtures are set up to mirror those in the FA Premier Academy League for Under 18s.[6]

In the 2019–20 season, a Huddersfield team entered a small league (under-21 plus three overage) along with Brentford and four Scottish clubs.[7]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 45 DF  ENG Demeaco Duhaney

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

No. Pos. Nation Player —

• The Central League Champions: 4
  • 1914–15, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1930–31
• U21 Professional Development League 2 North, 1st Place:
  • 2013–14

After the arrival of current chairman Dean Hoyle in the summer of 2009, an overall development of every aspect of Huddersfield Town including the academy. The main development taking place with regards to the academy is the current redevelopment of the club's new training complex, Canalside. The project will conclude with the academy players training alongside their first team counterparts for the first time at a high quality, purpose-built facility.[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ENG Michael Acquah — DF  IRL Josh Okpolokpo — DF  ENG Neo Eccleston — FW  EQG Charles Ondo — DF  ENG David Adewoju — DF  ENG Shane Maroodza

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  ENG Jeremy Stewart — MF  ENG Luke Billam — MF  ENG Donay O'Brien-Brady — MF  ENG Michael Stone — FW  NIR Conor Falls

[10]

• U18 Professional Development League 2 Champions:
  • 2013–14