Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy

Liverpool Reserves played in Premier Reserve League. The Reserves won the regional division title in 2000 and again 2008 winning also the national league that year. It competed in the Lancashire Combination from 1896 to 1911, with the exception of the 1898–99 season, in which it joined The Combination. From 1911 on, it took part in the Central League until becoming inaugural members of the Premier Reserve League North in 1999. The team also participated in the Liverpool Senior Cup and the Lancashire Senior Cup; the last time it took part in them was the 2009–10 season when it also won both competitions.

The last reserve team manager was Rodolfo Borrell, who was appointed in July 2011 and led the reserve team during its final season before taking over the newly formed under-21 side in July 2012. The reserves last played their home games at Prenton Park (the home of Tranmere Rovers);[2] in previous seasons the team has also played at the club's academy, the Halliwell Jones Stadium (home of Warrington Wolves), Haig Avenue (the home of Southport), Totally Wicked Stadium (the home of St Helens R.F.C.) and the Racecourse Ground (home of Wrexham).

The most successful Liverpool Reserves manager was Roy Evans. Evans spent most of his playing career as a reserve team player, making only 11 appearances for the first team. After an injury ended his career in 1974, he was appointed manager of the reserves by Bob Paisley. Evans subsequently led the reserves to victory in a series of Central League championships, including three in his first three seasons, a four in a row sequence from 1978, and two more in the early 1980s. Throughout the history of Liverpool FC, many of the club's best known players have progressed through the reserve team. These include people who at one point were first team squad members including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, Jamie Carragher and Raheem Sterling.

The Academy

In 1998, a new state-of-the-art Youth Academy was opened in Kirkby, Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. 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.

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 currently taken in as young as the age of six. Former England International player Jamie Carragher started at Liverpool when he was aged just nine, with Michael Owen joining at eleven, and Steven Gerrard joining at the age of eight.[3]

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 director Alex Inglethorpe has said the remit of the academy is to produce physically, technically, tactically and mentally elite players with enough quality to represent the senior side in the Champions League.[1] Liverpool won the 2005 Champions league with two locally born academy graduates starting in the final.

Academy squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 42 FW  ENG Bobby Clark 44 DF  ENG Luke Chambers 48 DF  ENG Calum Scanlon 49 FW  ENG Kaide Gordon 51 FW  IRL Trent Kone-Doherty 52 MF  ENG Isaac Mabaya 53 MF  ENG James McConnell 54 MF  ENG Cody Pennington 55 FW  GER Paul Glatzel 56 GK  CZE Vítězslav Jaroš 57 DF  ENG Carter Pinnington 58 DF  GHA Francis Gyimah 59 DF  ENG Terence Miles 60 DF  ENG Luca Furnell-Gill 61 MF  USA Matteo Ritaccio 67 MF  WAL Lewis Koumas 68 MF  NIR Kieran Morrison 69 DF  ENG Josh Davidson 70 FW  ENG Tommy Pilling 71 MF  ENG Jay Spearing 74 GK  ENG Oscar Kelly 76 FW  ENG Jayden Danns 83 MF  WAL Thomas Hill 86 FW  ENG Harvey Blair

No. Pos. Nation Player 87 FW  ENG Oakley Cannonier 88 DF  ENG Lucas Pitt 90 DF  ENG Lee Jonas 92 FW  POL Mateusz Musiałowski 93 GK  POL Fabian Mrozek 94 MF  GER Melkamu Frauendorf 99 MF  ENG Afolami Onanuga — GK  ENG Nathan Morana — GK  POL Kornel Misciur — GK  ENG Reece Trueman — GK  ENG Jacon Poytress — DF  ESP Wellity Lucky — DF  ENG Nathan Giblin — DF  NGA Louis Enahoro-Marcus — DF  ENG Niall Osborne — DF  ENG Harry Evers — MF  ENG Michael Laffey — MF  ENG Kyle Kelly — MF  ENG Emmanuel Airoboma — MF  ENG Ben Trueman — MF  ENG Clae Ewing — FW  ENG Ranel Young — FW  EGY Kareem Ahmed — FW  USA Keyrol Figueroa

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 63 DF  WAL Owen Beck (at Dundee until 30 June 2024)[15] 73 GK  ENG Luke Hewitson (at Stalybridge Celtic until January 2024)[16] 75 GK  POL Jakub Ojrzyński (at Den Bosch until 30 June 2024)[17] 77 DF  ENG James Norris (at Tranmere Rovers until 30 June 2024)[18] 79 MF  ENG Dominic Corness (at Yverdon Sport until 30 June 2024)[19] 80 MF  ENG Tyler Morton (at Hull City until 30 June 2024)[20]

No. Pos. Nation Player 85 MF  ENG James Balagizi (at Wigan Athletic until 30 June 2024)[21] 89 DF  FRA Billy Koumetio (at Dunkerque until 30 June 2024)[22] 91 MF  ENG Luca Stephenson (at Barrow until 30 June 2024) 95 GK  ENG Harvey Davies (at Crewe Alexandra until 30 June 2024)[23] — DF  COL Anderson Arroyo (at Andorra until 30 June 2024)[24] — DF  ENG Adam Lewis (at Newport County until 30 June 2024)[25]

Players listed in bold have made at least one senior first-team appearance.

*Asterisk denotes a shared title.

• Who's Who of Liverpool (2006): Tony Matthews
• LFCHistory.net