Ipswich Town F.C. Under-21s and Academy
Development academy for Ipswich Town Football Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ipswich Town Football Club currently runs a category one academy.[1] The youth teams play their home games at the Ipswich Town Training Centre at Playford Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, while some U21s home games are played at Portman Road.[2]
30,056 (Portman Road)
| Full name | Ipswich Town Football Club Under-21s and Academy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Tractor Boys | ||
| Ground | Playford Road Portman Road | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 (Playford Road) 30,056 (Portman Road) | ||
| Owner | Gamechanger 20 Ltd. | ||
| Chairman | Mark Ashton | ||
| Manager | John McGreal (U21s) Vacant (U18s) | ||
| League | Premier League 2 (U21s) Premier League (U18s) | ||
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Some of Ipswich's greatest ever players have come through the club's youth system since the 1960s, including Roger Osborne, Mick Mills, Kevin Beattie, Russell Osman, George Burley, John Wark, Terry Butcher and Jason Dozzell.[3] The academy was also very successful during the 1990s, producing a number of first-team players including Richard Wright, Titus Bramble, James Scowcroft and Kieron Dyer.[4] In more recent years, the academy has produced more young players going onto the main team including Connor Wickham, Jordan Rhodes, Luke Woolfenden, Flynn Downes, Cameron Humphreys and Andre Dozzell, who like his father Jason Dozzell, scored on his debut at the age of 16.[5][6]
Under-21s squad
- As of 7 August 2026[7]
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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Out on loan
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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Note: Loans only shown for those joined a National League N/S team or higher and for more than a month
Under-18s squad
- As of 17 July 2026[8]
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 key staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head of Coaching & Player Development |  Vacant |
| Under-21 Head Coach |  John McGreal |
| Under-18 Head Coach | Vacant |
| Academy Manager | Ben Chenery |
| Head of Academy Goalkeeping | Carl Pentney |
| Head of Foundation Phase | Simon Tricker |
| Head of Academy Recruitment | Vacant |
| Academy Loans Manager | Danny Searle |
| Head of Academy Performance Analysis | Adam Cuthbert |
| Head of Academy Sports Medicine | Jack Wilce |
| Head of Academy Sports Science | Nathan Griffith |
| Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach | Vacant |
Notable academy players
The following is a list of players who have played in the Ipswich Town youth system and have gone on to make 3 or more senior appearances at Championship level or above or the top league of that country. Players who are currently playing for the club are highlighted in bold. Players who never made a senior appearance for the club are in italics.
Colin Harper- Mick Mills
- Derek Jefferson
- Geoff Hammond
- Laurie Sivell
- Brian Talbot
- Kevin Beattie
- Eric Gates
- Robin Turner
George Burley- Tommy Parkin
- John Wark
- Les Tibbott
- Russell Osman
- Alan Brazil
- Terry Butcher
- Gary Stevens
- Kevin Steggles
- Steve McCall
Mich d'Avray
Colin Clarke- Ian Cranson
- Jason Dozzell
Frank Yallop- Mark Brennan
- Jon Hallworth
- Tony Humes
- Dalian Atkinson
- Craig Forrest
- Mick Stockwell
- Chris Kiwomya
- David Gregory
- Richard Hall
- Gavin Johnson
Neil Gregory- Adam Tanner
- Tony Vaughan
- Matthew Upson
- Richard Wright
- James Scowcroft
- Richard Naylor
- Kieron Dyer
- Wayne Brown
- Titus Bramble
- Scott Loach
- Arran Lee-Barrett
- Darren Bent
- Darren Ambrose
- Matt Bloomfield
- Matt Richards
- Ian Westlake
- Dean Bowditch
Richard Keogh
Lewis Price- Scott Barron
- Chris Whelpdale
- Josh Simpson
- Owen Garvan
- Shane Supple
- Danny Haynes
- Billy Clarke
- Chris Casement
- Liam Trotter
- Ed Upson
- Ryan Bennett
- Morgan Fox
- Jordan Rhodes
- Stuart O'Keefe
Tommy Smith- Nick Pope
- Connor Wickham
- Jack Ainsley
Macauley Bonne- Tom Eastman
- Luke Hyam
- Ronan Murray
- Josh Carson
- Caolan Lavery
Cody Cropper- Jack Marriott
- Teddy Bishop
- Matt Clarke
- Harry Clarke
- Josh Emmanuel
- Myles Kenlock
- Andre Dozzell
- Flynn Downes
- Tristan Nydam
- Luke Woolfenden
Ben Folami- Jack Lankester
Idris El Mizouni- Liam Gibbs
- Tyreece Simpson
- Tawanda Chirewa
- Corrie Ndaba
- Cameron Humphreys
Academy Player of the Year
| Dale Roberts Academy Player of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Name | Ref |
| 2001–02 | Will Snowdon |
[9] |
| 2002–03 | Darren Bent |
[10] |
| 2003–04 | Dean Bowditch |
[11] |
| 2004–05 |  Billy Clarke |
[12] |
| 2005–06 |  Chris Casement |
[13] |
| 2006–07 |  Tommy Smith |
[14] |
| 2007–08 |  Jordan Rhodes |
[15] |
| 2008–09 | Connor Wickham |
[16] |
| 2009–10 | Tom Eastman |
[17] |
| 2010–11 | Josh Carson |
[18] |
| 2011–12 |  Gunnar Thorsteinsson |
[19] |
| 2012–13 | Jack Marriott |
[20] |
| 2013–14 | Kyle Hammond |
[21] |
| 2014–15 | Teddy Bishop |
[22] |
| 2015–16 | Andre Dozzell |
[23] |
| 2016–17 | Tristan Nydam |
[24] |
| 2017–18 | Flynn Downes |
[25] |
| 2018–19 | Jack Lankester |
[26] |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded[nb 1] | [27] |
| 2020–21 | Not awarded | |
| 2021–22 | Cameron Humphreys |
[28] |
| 2022–23 | Edwin Agbaje |
[29] |
| 2023–24 | Finley Barbrook |
[30] |
| 2024–25 | Tom Taylor |
[31] |
| 2025–26 | Tudor Mendel-Idowu |
[32] |
Youth honours
Reserves/Under-21s
League
- Champions: 1972–73, 1975–76, 2006–07 (East Division), 2007–08 (East Division)
- FA Premier Reserve League South Division
- Champions: 2001–02
- Professional Development League South Division
- Champions: 2018–19, 2021–22
Academy
League
- Champions: 2000–01
Cups
- Professional Development League Cup
- Winners: 2021–22[33]
- Winners: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 2006–07, 2009–10
Notes
- No Young Player of the Year award was given due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the early curtailment of the 2019–20 season, and the cancellation of the Supporters' Club annual event.