| Countries | England Wales |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Divisions | 4 |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Levels on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Football League Youth Alliance |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Youth Cup |
| Current champions | Everton (2010–11) |
| 2011–12 season | |
The Premier Academy League (sometimes abbreviated as FAPAL) is the top level of youth football in England. It is contested between the Academy sides of The Premier League and some Football League clubs, including Welsh side Cardiff City. It sits above the second tier of youth football, The Football League Youth Alliance, which is for the remaining Football League clubs and some Football Conference clubs with Centre of Excellence. The most successful team is Arsenal, having won 5 titles.
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The league was founded as the FA Premier Youth League in 1997, replacing regionally-based youth leagues such as the South East Counties League as the top level of youth football. Clubs fielded Under-18 teams, with up to three Under-19 players allowed per match. 16 teams were split into Northern and Southern conferences of 8 teams each; teams played others within their own conference twice and teams from the other conference once. At the end of the season all the teams were paired into rounds of play-offs played over two legs in a knockout system. The inaugural winners were Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
The competition was revamped in 1998 with the introduction of the Football Association's Academy system and renamed the FA Premier Academy League. The competition was divided into Under-19 and Under-17 sections, and more teams were admitted - 32 in total, split into four conferences (two Southern, two Northern) of eight teams each. Teams played those within their own conference twice and the team from the other conference in their region once, again with play-offs between all teams at the end.
The U19 competition was expanded to 40 teams in five groups of 8 in 1999-00, before being reorganised into four groups of ten in 2000-01. The play-off format was revamped in 2003-04, with only the four group winners proceeding to the play-offs.
The league was reorganised yet again in 2004-05 season, with the league being reformed as a single Under-18 competition (players are aged under 18 on the preceding 31 August), with up to 3 Under-19 outfield players and 1 Under-19 goalkeeper allowed per team per match. Teams also compete at an Under-16 level in identically formed groups, but these are played as friendlies – no league table is maintained and no play-offs are contested. This format has remained to the present day.
The participants for the 2009-10 season in the Under-18 League are:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
All teams play each other in the group twice and play 10 inter-group fixtures, producing 28 games a season. The four group winners enter the playoffs, which is a straight knockout format.
| FA Premier Youth League (Under-18) | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Arsenal U18s | [1] | |
| FA Premier Academy League | |||
| Under-19 | Under-17 | ||
| 1998–99 | West Ham United U19s | Blackburn Rovers U17s | [2][3] |
| 1999-00 | West Ham United U19s | Arsenal U17s | [1][2] |
| 2000–01 | Nottingham Forest U19s | Ipswich Town U17s | [4][5] |
| 2001–02 | Arsenal U19s | Newcastle United U17s | [1][6] |
| 2002–03 | Blackburn Rovers U19s | Leeds United U17s | [7][8] |
| 2003–04 | Southampton U19s | Aston Villa U17s | [9][10] |
| Premier Academy League (Under-18) | |||
| 2004–05 | Blackburn Rovers U18s | [11] | |
| 2005-06 | Southampton U18s | [12] | |
| 2006–07 | Leicester City U18s | [13] | |
| 2007–08 | Aston Villa U18s | [14] | |
| 2008–09 | Arsenal U18s | [15] | |
| 2009–10 | Arsenal U18s | [16] | |
| 2010–11 | Everton U18s | [17] | |
| Team | U18 titles |
U19 (d) titles |
U17 (d) titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal youth | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Blackburn Rovers youth | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Aston Villa youth | 1 | 1 | |
| Southampton youth | 1 | 1 | |
| Everton youth | 1 | ||
| West Ham United youth | 2 | ||
| Nottingham Forest youth | 1 | ||
| Leicester City youth | 1 | ||
| Ipswich Town youth | 1 | ||
| Newcastle United youth | 1 | ||
| Leeds United youth | 1 |
(d) - defunct
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