Southampton F.C. Academy

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Southampton Football Club Academy or Saints Academy is the youth organisation run by Southampton Football Club to encourage and develop young footballers in the South of England. There are currently 8 squads at the Academy.

Under 18
Under 16
Under 14
Under 13
Under 12
Under 11
Under 10
Under 9

Amongst the players who passed through the Saints Academy and went on to represent their country are:

Since the start of the 2004-2005 season the Academy has been sponsored by local housebuilders Orchard Homes.

The academy manager is Mark Wotte (who played for a short time at Feyenoord Rotterdam). The aim of the Southampton academy is to "...produce premiership class players..."^[1] At current Southampton's academy set up is one of the best in the country and they have regularly reached the latter stages of the FA Youth Cup, as well as being successful in the FA Premier Academy League Championship.

In the past, prior to the establishment of the academy, the Southampton youth system has produced other international players, such as Matthew Le Tissier and Alan Shearer.

Four former Saints academy players featured in the England Under-21 match against Montenegro on 7 September 2007: Martin Cranie and Theo Walcott both started (with Walcott setting up the second goal) whilst Dexter Blackstock and Andrew Surman came on as second half substitutes, with Surman scoring the final goal in a 3-0 victory, tapping the ball home in stoppage time from a knock-down by Blackstock.^[2]^[3]