Blackburn Rovers F.C. Reserves and Academy

Blackburn Rovers F.C. Reserves are the reserve team of Blackburn Rovers. The club also has a Academy for the Under 18's.

Reserve team

Blackburn Rovers Reserves play in the FA Premier Reserve League. In their division, the reserves finished the 2011/12 season in 7th place.

The current Reserve team manager Eric Kinder.^[4] Kinder was appointed Gary Bowyer's replacement following his appointment as 1st team manager following 2 successful caretaker spells. The reserves play their home games at Leigh Sports Village (the home of Co-operative Championship rugby team Leigh Centurions).^[5]

The Academy

Blackburn Rovers Academy is overseen by Phil Cannon. The Academy trains at Brockhall training village, the same location as the Blackburn Rovers 1st team and Blackburn Rovers Reserves. It also provides a stepping stone for youngsters to progress to the highest levels of football at Blackburn Rovers producing high quality players in the past. Former players such as Damien Duff, Phil Jones, Damien Johnson, James Beattie, Neil Danns, Jonathan Walters, and Anthony Pilkington were all nurtured in The Academy. Current professional football players also include Jason Lowe, Martin Olsson, David Dunn, Grant Hanley, Josh Morris, Adam Henley, John O'Sullivan and Jack O'Connell.

History & Facilities

In January 1991, British industrialist and businessman Jack Walker a lifelong fan of Blackburn Rovers completed the takeover of the club. In the following years, the Brockhall Village Academy, was constructed at a cost of approximately £4.75 million. The centre included state of the art facilities on par with top training facilities elsewhere in Europe. It includes 6 full-size pitches, indoor training facilities, an indoor running track, outdoor running "hill", a swimming pool, goalkeeper training facilities as well as accommodation for the youth players.

Blackburn Rovers India Academy

On 19 November 2010, Pune based chicken meat processing, and pharmaceutical company, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited., completed the takeover of Blackburn Rovers, under the name Venky's London Limited.^[6][7]

One of the companies early ambitions was to open an Academy back in their home nation of India. Managing director, told The Indian Express newspaper the club was planning a centre of excellence near Pune which is 100 km (60 miles) from Mumbai.

"We are getting an academy and a stadium in Pune," Venky's B. Balaji Rao was quoted as saying. "The site is near the Mumbai-Pune highway and will be ready in a year-and-a-half or two years." Rao said the academy, on the outskirts of the city, will be run exactly like a Rovers' training centre at Brockhall in northwest England, taking players from the age of 11 and 12.^[7]

Reserves

Reserves (Under-21)

As of May 30, 2015.^[8]

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

No. Position Player 33 GK David Raya — GK Ryan Crump — DF Grant Ferguson — DF Jack Doyle — MF David Carson — MF Mark Edgar — MF Connor Thomson 28 MF Connor Mahoney

No. Position Player — MF Hyuga Tanner — FW Modou Cham — FW Anton Forrester — FW Devarn Green — FW Sam Joel — FW Jordan Preston — FW Dean Rittenberg — FW Luke Wall

Academy (Under-18s)

As of May 30, 2015.^[9]

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

No. Position Player — GK Ben Ascroft — GK Andrew Fisher — DF Josh Askew — DF Charley Doyle — DF Tyler Magloire — DF Matty Makinson 24 DF Ryan Nyambe — DF Jan Pirretas — DF Matthew Platt — DF Joe Rankin-Costello — DF Lewis Travis — DF Scott Wharton — DF Ben Williams

No. Position Player — MF Joe Grayson — MF Lewis Hardcastle — MF Stefan Mols 27 MF Willem Tomlinson — FW Stuart Callaway — FW Alex Curran — FW Mason Fawns — FW Callum Hendry — FW Ramirez Howarth — FW Lewis Mansell — FW Oliver Mehew — FW Tre Pemberton — FW Joel Steer

Noted graduates

Blackburn Rovers' youth system has been successful over the years, many players who have come through it have gone on to feature in the first-team and make an impact or progress in the 1st teams of other clubs in the future.

Current/Former Rovers 1st teamers

Other Players To Have Made Impact Elsewhere

References

External links

• Blackburn Rovers FC Official Website