2015–16 Professional U21 Development League
The 2015–16 Professional U21 Development League is the fourth season of the Professional Development League system.
League 1
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Manchester United U21s (3rd Title) Division 2 Derby County U21s (1st Title) |
| Promoted | Derby County U21s Arsenal U21s |
| Relegated | Middlesbrough U21s Norwich City U21s |
| Matches | 267 (264 RS, 3 PO) |
| Goals | 788 (2.95 per match) (778 RS, 10 PO) |
| Top goalscorer | Overall Stephy Mavididi Arsenal U21s (13 Goals) Division 1 Arnel Jakupovic Middlesbrough U21s (12 Goals) Division 2 Stephy Mavididi Arsenal U21s (13 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester United U21s 7–0 Norwich City U21s (8 February 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Leicester City U21s 1–6 Sunderland U21s (2 November 2015) Norwich City U21s 0–5 Middlesbrough U21s (17 November 2015) Liverpool U21s 0–5 Southampton U21s (20 March 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Tottenham Hotspur U21s 7–4 Leicester City U21s (21 September 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 6 Matches Manchester United U21s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 7 Matches Arsenal U21s, Aston Villa U21s, Swansea City U21s |
| Longest winless run | 19 Matches Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s |
| Longest losing run | 5 Matches Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s |
| Highest attendance | 9,278 Norwich City U21s 0–0 Liverpool U21s (21 December 2015) |
| Lowest attendance | 20 Everton U21s 2–2 Middlesbrough U21s (17 March 2016) |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → | |
League 1, referred to as the Barclays Under 21 Premier League for sponsorship reasons, was split into two divisions, with teams allocated places in Division 1 or 2 based on their performance in the 2014–15 season.
At the end of the season, the team which finished top of Division 1 was crowned as overall League 1 champions, and the bottom two teams in Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2 for the 2016–17 season.[1]
Division 1
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United U21s (C) | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 44 | 19 | +25 | 48 | |
| 2 | Sunderland U21s | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 43 | |
| 3 | Everton U21s | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 37 | |
| 4 | Manchester City EDS | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 34 | |
| 5 | Chelsea U21s | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 33 | |
| 6 | Southampton U21s | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 30 | |
| 7 | Liverpool U21s | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 37 | −11 | 28 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 27 | |
| 9 | Reading U21s | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 34 | 40 | −6 | 27 | |
| 10 | Leicester City U21s | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 25 | 48 | −23 | 21 | |
| 11 | Middlesbrough U21s (R) | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 20 | Relegation to 2016–17 U23 Premier League Division 2 |
| 12 | Norwich City U21s (R) | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 30 | 50 | −20 | 19 |
Results
Division 2
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derby County U21s (P) | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 44 | 26 | +18 | 42 | Promotion to 2016–17 U23 Premier League Division 1 |
| 2 | Arsenal U21s (P) | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 40 | Qualification for Play-offs |
| 3 | Swansea City U21s | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 39 | |
| 4 | Aston Villa U21s | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 39 | |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers U21s | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 34 | |
| 6 | West Bromwich Albion U21s | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 33 | Qualification for 2016–17 U23 Premier League Division 2 |
| 7 | West Ham United U21s | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 34 | +3 | 32 | |
| 8 | Stoke City U21s | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 32 | |
| 9 | Fulham U21s | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 29 | |
| 10 | Newcastle United U21s | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 18 | |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion U21s | 22 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 36 | −19 | 14 | |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s | 22 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 13 |
Results
Play-offs
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 2 | Arsenal U21s | 2 | |||||||
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers U21s | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Arsenal U21s | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Aston Villa U21s | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Swansea City U21s | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | Aston Villa U21s | 2 | |||||||
Semifinals
| Swansea City U21s | 1–2 | Aston Villa U21s |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Arsenal U21s | 2–1 | Blackburn Rovers U21s |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Final
Top goalscorers
- As of 12 May 2016
Hat-tricks
- As of 12 May 2016
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Division | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan Watmore | Sunderland U21s | Manchester City EDS | 3–0 (H) | 20 September 2015 | Division 1 | [5] |
| Bradley Fewster | Middlesbrough U21s | Norwich City U21s | 0–5 (A) | 17 November 2015 | Division 1 | [6] |
| Jamar Loza5 | Norwich City U21s | Southampton U21s | 7–2 (H) | 30 November 2015 | Division 1 | [7] |
| Will Keane | Manchester United U21s | Reading U21s | 1–3 (A) | 11 January 2016 | Division 1 | [8] |
| Will Keane5 | Manchester United U21s | Norwich City U21s | 7–0 (H) | 8 February 2016 | Division 1 | [9] |
| Sheyi Ojo | Liverpool U21s | Middlesbrough U21s | 2–3 (A) | 7 March 2016 | Division 1 | [10] |
| Marvin Emnes | Swansea City U21s | Blackburn Rovers U21s | 5–0 (H) | 18 March 2016 | Division 2 | [11] |
| Jay Rodriguez | Southampton U21s | Liverpool U21s | 0–5 (A) | 20 March 2016 | Division 1 | [12] |
| Shayon Harrison | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | Sunderland U21s | 3–1 (H) | 11 April 2016 | Division 1 | [13] |
| Kieran Dowell | Everton U21s | Leicester City U21s | 3–1 (H) | 25 April 2016 | Division 1 | [14] |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
5 – player scored 5 goals
Awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Lynden Gooch | Sunderland U21s | [15] |
| September | Ivan Toney | Newcastle United U21s | [16] |
| October | Offrande Zanzala | Derby County U21s | [17] |
| November | Harry Chapman | Middlesbrough U21s | [18] |
| December | Kyle Walker-Peters | Tottenham Hotspur U21s | [19] |
| January | Callum Roberts | Newcastle United U21s | [20] |
| February | Rees Greenwood | Sunderland U21s | [21] |
| March | Courtney Duffus | Everton U21s | [22] |
| April | Kasey Palmer | Chelsea U21s | [23] |
League 2
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Huddersfield Town U21s (1st Title) |
| Regular Season Champions | Huddersfield Town U21s (2nd Title) |
| Matches | 313 (310 RS, 3 PO) |
| Goals | 957 (3.06 per match) (949 RS, 8 PO) |
| Top goalscorer | Alex Jakubiak Watford U21s (16 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Barnsley U21s 6–0 Nottingham Forest U21s (14 December 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Watford U21s 0–5 Crystal Palace U21s (14 March 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Queens Park Rangers U21s 5–5 Huddersfield Town U21s (17 August 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 12 Matches Huddersfield Town U21s |
| Longest unbeaten run | 17 Matches Sheffield United U21s |
| Longest winless run | 12 Matches Watford U21s |
| Longest losing run | 6 Matches Bristol City U21s |
| Highest attendance | 4,018 Sheffield United U21s 1–2 Huddersfield Town U21s (14 May 2016) |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → | |
League 2, referred to as the U21 Professional Development League 2, is split into two regional divisions.
Teams will play each team in their own division twice, and each team in the other division once, for a total of 30 games for North division teams, and 29 games each for South division teams.
At the end of the season, the teams finishing in the top two positions of both divisions will meet in the knockout stage to determine the overall league champion.
21 Teams competed in the league this season, 2 more than last season. Swansea City U21s left the league after 3 seasons to join the Premier League 2 as a Category One Academy on July 10.[24] Meanwhile, Bolton Wanderers U21s joined the league after dropping their Academy to Category Two Status in June.[25] Hull City U21s, and Watford U21s joined the league after obtaining Category Two Academy status with Hull City joining in May,[26] and on July 3 for Watford.[27][26]
League stage
North Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huddersfield Town U21s | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 62 | 33 | +29 | 65 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
| 2 | Sheffield United U21s | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 24 | +19 | 57 | |
| 3 | Hull City U21s | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 55 | 42 | +13 | 46 | |
| 4 | Birmingham City U21s | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 39 | |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest U21s | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 49 | 50 | −1 | 39 | |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers U21s | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 37 | |
| 7 | Leeds United U21s | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 37 | |
| 8 | Crewe Alexandra U21s | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 47 | 55 | −8 | 36 | |
| 9 | Coventry City U21s | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 36 | |
| 10 | Sheffield Wednesday U21s | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 28 | 42 | −14 | 32 | |
| 11 | Barnsley U21s | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 41 | 55 | −14 | 31 |
South Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlton Athletic U21s | 29 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 52 | 29 | +23 | 57 | Qualification for Knock-out stage |
| 2 | Millwall U21s | 29 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 54 | |
| 3 | Cardiff City U21s | 29 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 50 | 30 | +20 | 53 | |
| 4 | Colchester United U21s | 29 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 51 | |
| 5 | Crystal Palace U21s | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 40 | |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers U21s | 29 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 55 | 64 | −9 | 35 | |
| 7 | Ipswich Town U21s | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 35 | 45 | −10 | 33 | |
| 8 | Brentford U21s | 29 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 50 | 63 | −13 | 32 | |
| 9 | Bristol City U21s | 29 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 38 | 59 | −21 | 30 | |
| 10 | Watford U21s | 29 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 56 | −23 | 22 |
Results
Knock-out stage
Semifinals
| Huddersfield Town U21s | 2–0 | Millwall U21s |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Final
| Sheffield United U21s | 1–2 | Huddersfield Town U21s |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Top goalscorers
- As of 14 May 2016
Hat-tricks
- As of 14 May 2016
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
4 – player scored 4 goals
See also
- 2015–16 Professional U18 Development League
- 2015–16 FA Cup
- 2015–16 FA Youth Cup
- 2015–16 Under-21 Premier League Cup
- 2015–16 in English football
References
- ^ "Fixtures Announced Champions Manchester United Play Leicester City | Barclays Under-21 Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11.
- ^ "U21 PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION 1". Premier League. Archived from the original on 19 August 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "U21 PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "U21 PREMIER LEAGUE DIVISION 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Sunderland v Manchester City". 20 September 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Norwich City v Middlesbrough". 17 November 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Norwich City v Middlesbrough". 30 November 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Reading v Manchester United". 11 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Manchester United v Norwich City". 8 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Middlesbrough v Liverpool". 7 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace". 18 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Liverpool v Southampton". 20 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland". 11 April 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Everton v Leicester City". 25 April 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "Sunderland's Lynden Gooch wins Under-21 Premier League Player of the Month". www.sportsmole.co.uk. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Newcastle's Ivan Toney named Under-21 Premier League Player of the Month for September". www.chroniclelive.co.uk. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "OFFRANDE ZANZALA NAMED BARCLAYS U21 PLAYER OF THE MONTH". Derby County FC. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Harry Chapman aiming for Middlesbrough FC first-team after winning LFE Goal of the Month award". Teesside live. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "In case you missed it, England are under-20 World Cup finalists". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ X: @youngpro_group, Young Pro Group. "NEWS: #nufc winger @Calroberts_ wins January #BU21PL Player of the Month award".
- ^ "Sunderland's Premier League Player of the Month makes an impact and earns ex-skipper's praise". Sunderland Echo. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Watch as young striker Courtney Duffus is presented with his Barclays Football Under-21 Premier League Player of the Month award! 💪🏼". Facebook. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "Sunderland's Premier League Player of the Month makes an impact and earns ex-skipper's praise". WE AIN'T GOT NO HISTORY. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "ALL ACADEMY AGE GROUPS TO PLAY CATEGORY ONE FIXTURES". Swansea City.
- ^ "UPDATED: Wanderers to save £1 million by downgrading youth academy". The Bolton News. 12 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Academy". Hull City A.F.C. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ "ACADEMY: Watford Awarded EPPP Category Two Status". Watford FC.
- ^ a b "U21 Professional Development League 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Development Squad Fixtures". Huddersfield Town. Archived from the original on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "U21S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Huddersfield Town". Youth Hawk. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Crystal Palace v Watford". Youth Hawk. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Barnsley v Crystal Palace". Youth Hawk. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Millwall v Coventry City". Youth Hawk. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Colchester United v Barnsley". Youth Hawk. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Hull City". Youth Hawk. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Queens Park Rangers v Millwall". Youth Hawk. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leeds United v Bolton Wanderers". Youth Hawk. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Crystal Palace v Queens Park Rangers". Youth Hawk. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Brentford". Youth Hawk. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Leeds United v Barnsley". Youth Hawk. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Watford v Crystal Palace". Youth Hawk. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Birmingham City v Millwall". Youth Hawk. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ^ "U21S Match Summary: Barnsley v Leeds United". Youth Hawk. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2026.