Arsenal F.C. Under-21s and Academy
English association football youth system / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Arsenal F.C. Under-21s and Academy?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Arsenal Football Club Academy is the youth system of Arsenal Football Club based in Hale End, London, England. It is often referred to as Hale End eponymously by the club, sports media, and fans.[1][2][3] The academy teams play in the Professional Development League, the highest level of youth football in England. The club also competes in the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League competitions. Former player Per Mertesacker is the current academy manager.[4]
Full name | Arsenal Football Club (Under-21s and Academy) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Hale End | |||
Founded | 1887; 137 years ago (1887) | |||
Ground | Meadow Park | |||
Capacity | 4,502 | |||
Academy Manager | Per Mertesacker | |||
League | Professional Development League (Division 1) | |||
| ||||
Arsenal Under-21s, previously referred to as the Reserves, is the highest level squad within the setup. They train at the Arsenal Training Centre and play the majority of their home games at Meadow Park,[5] which is the home of Boreham Wood FC. On occasion they also play at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Senior players occasionally play in the reserve side, as in the case when they are recovering from injury.
Arsenal's Academy is one of England's most successful, winning seven FA Youth Cups together with six Premier Academy League titles altogether.[6][7][8] Numerous international players have graduated from the academy and reserve teams.