Chelsea F.C. Under-21s, previously referred to as the Development Squad, are the development team of Chelsea Football Club. They play in the Premier League 2, which is the top level of reserve football in England. They were the champions in the 2013–14 and 2019–20 seasons. The team mainly consists of under-21 players at the club, although senior players occasionally feature, when recovering from injuries or otherwise not in the first team. The under-21 team is managed by Calum McFarlane and the under-18 team is managed by Hassan Sulaiman.
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| Full name | Chelsea Football Club Under-21s and Academy | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Blues The Young Blues | |||
| Ground | Kingsmeadow Cobham Training Centre Stamford Bridge | |||
| Capacity | 4,850 (Kingsmeadow) 40,044 (Stamford Bridge) | |||
| Owner | BlueCo[1] | |||
| Chairman | Todd Boehly | |||
| Manager | Calum McFarlane (U21) Hassan Sulaiman (U18) | |||
| League | Premier League 2 (under-21s) U18 Premier League (academy) | |||
| Website | www | |||
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Chelsea F.C. Academy is the under-18 team of Chelsea Football Club. It is a member of the Professional U18 Development League. They have won the FA Youth Cup nine times, including five consecutive titles between 2014 and 2018. The academy has produced many successful players such as the brothers Ron and Allan Harris, Peter Bonetti, Bobby Tambling, Barry Bridges, Bert Murray, John Hollins, Peter Osgood, Ray Wilkins, Graeme Le Saux, Bobby Smith, Terry Venables, Jimmy Greaves, John Terry, Mason Mount, Reece James, Trevor Chalobah, Levi Colwill and Conor Gallagher. Chelsea are the only English club to reach the final of the UEFA Youth League, winning it twice in four final appearances.
The under-21 team play their home games at Kingsmeadow, while the under-18s play at the club's Cobham Training Centre in Cobham, Surrey. Both teams occasionally use the club's home ground Stamford Bridge for important matches.
Current squads
edit- Bold indicates players to have at least one first-team appearance for Chelsea.
U21s squad
edit- As of 29 August 2025[2]
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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U18s squad
edit- As of 18 July 2025[3]
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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Academy graduates since 2000s
edit- Bold indicates players who still play for Chelsea, including those who are currently out on loan to other clubs.
Notable Academy graduates
edit- Players who have at least 10 first-team appearances for Chelsea or have represented a country at full international level, are categorised by the decade in which they were graduated from the academy.
- bold indicates players who still play for Chelsea, including those who are currently out on loan to other clubs.
Before World War II
edit1950s
edit1960s
edit1970s
edit
Trevor Aylott- Brian Bason
- John Bumstead
- Gary Chivers
- Mike Fillery
- Lee Frost
- Kevin Hales
- Gary Johnson
- Tommy Langley
- Ray Lewington
- Gary Locke
- Teddy Maybank
- Micky Nutton
- Colin Pates
- Peter Rhoades-Brown
- Steve Sherwood
- John Sitton
- John Sparrow
- Gary Stanley
- David Stride
- Clive Walker
- Steve Wicks
- Graham Wilkins
- Ray Wilkins
Ian Britton- Steve Finnieston
1980s
edit1990s
edit2000s
edit2010s
edit2020s
editAnnual awards
editYoung Player of the Year
editAcademy Player of the Season
editHonours
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Reserves team
edit- U21 Premier League / Premier League 2
- The Football Combination
- Winners (11): 1948–49, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1993–94
- Premier Reserve League – National Champions
- Winners (1): 2010–11
- Premier Reserve League – Southern Champions
- Winners (1): 2010–11
- London Challenge Cup
- Winners (5): 1919–20, 1926–27, 1949–50, 1959–60, 1960–61
- Metropolitan League
- Winners (3): 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58
Academy team
edit- Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup
- Winners (1): 1984
- UEFA Youth League
- U18 Premier League – National Champions
- U18 Premier League – Southern Champions
- FA Youth Cup
- U18 Premier League Cup
- Winners (2): 2017–18, 2021–22[4]
- U17 Premier League Cup
- Winners (1): 2023–24[5]
- U16 Premier League Cup
- Winners (1): 2018–19[6]
- Southern Junior Floodlight Cup
- Winners (5): 1955–56, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64
- South East Counties League
- Winners (10): 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1973–74, 1983–84
- South East Counties League Cup
- Winners (11): 1952–53, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1983–84, 1986–87
- North Surrey Minor League
- Winners (1): 1953–54
- London Minor Challenge Cup
- Winners (3): 1949–50, 1951–52, 1953–54
References
edit- ^ "Group Tax Strategy". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Academy – U21s". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "Academy – U18s". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "U18 Premier League Cup – Champions". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "PL Cup report: Wolves 1–3 Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Arsenal U16 2–5 Chelsea U16: Talented young guns fall to lively Blues in showpiece final". Islington Gazette. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
External links
edit- About the Academy at Chelsea F.C. official website
- Why Chelsea could finally be reaping the rewards of their outstanding academy – These Football Times (2017)