AFC Wimbledon Development Squad and Academy
| Full name | AFC Wimbledon | |||
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| Nicknames | The Dons, The Wombles | |||
| Founded | 2003 | |||
| Ground | Plough Lane | |||
| Chairman | Mick Buckley | |||
| Manager | Michael Hamilton (Academy Manager) | |||
| League | Football League Youth Alliance | |||
| 2019-20 | 1st (Merit League One) | |||
| Website | http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk/ | |||
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AFC Wimbledon Development squad and Academy are the youth teams of professional English association football club AFC Wimbledon. Under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) system for youth development, the academy has been granted Category Three status. The Under-18 squad currently competes in Football League Youth Alliance South East Conference. The Under 18's squad play their home matches in the FA Youth Cup at Kingsmeadow[clarification needed], in Kingston upon Thames, London. Whilst the Under 23's play a majority of their matches at Merstham F.C. most other matches are held at the club's New Malden training complex. The development squad competes in the Under–21 Premier League Cup.
History
[edit | edit source]The AFC Wimbledon Academy was founded in 2003. In 2010, the Under-13s squad won the Tesco Cup, having triumphed through the County and Regional rounds of the competition, by beating Lytham St Annes YMCA 2–0 in the final.
Current academy and youth development staff
[edit | edit source]| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| England Michael Hamilton | Academy Manager |
| England Michael Cook | Academy Head of Operations |
| England Anthony Ferguson | Head of Coaching |
| England James Oliver Pearce | Under 18s Head Coach |
| England Jack Matthews | Lead Youth Phase Coach (U13-16) |
| England Nicholas Wright | Lead Foundation Phase Coach |
| England Liam Connor | Head of Physical Performance |
| England Jenna Richards | Physical Performance and Medicine Manager |
| England Stuart Page | Head of Education |
| England Ben Fosuhene | Head of Academy Talent ID |
| England Ahmed Jama | Head of Academy Performance Analysis |
| Portugal Diogo Santos | Youth Development Phase Coach |
| England Conor Martin | Academy Club Journalist |
| England Deji Olorukoba-Oseni | Academy Administrator |
Current Youth Development Squads
[edit | edit source]Under-18s squad
[edit | edit source]Under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) system for youth development, the AFC Wimbledon Academy has been granted Category Three Academy status. The club currently competes in the Merit League One of the Football Youth Alliance.
- As of 15 January 2024.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable Academy graduates
[edit | edit source]Players in bold went on to sign professional contracts and are currently playing for the senior first team. Players in italics subsequently went on to be signed by a Premier League club.
- England Dan Agyei
- England Jayden Antwi
- England Ossama Ashley
- England Tom Beere
- England Neşet Bellikli
- England Tyler Burey
- England Josef Bursik
- England Alfie Egan
- England Great Evans
- England Jim Fenlon
- England Dan Gallagher
- Malta Luke Gambin
- England Ben Harrison
- England Anthony Hartigan
- England Chris Hussey
- England Femi Ilesanmi
- England Ryan Jackson
- England Huw Johnson
- Albania Egli Kaja
- England Paul Kalambayi
- England Brendan Kiernan
- England Will Mannion
- England Frankie Merrifield
- England Ethan Nelson-Roberts
- England Will Nightingale
- England George Oakley
- England Toyosi Olusanya
- England Toby Sibbick
- Republic of Ireland Ryan Sweeney
- England Jack Turner