Full name | Leicester City Development Squad & Academy |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Foxes |
Founded | 1884 (as Leicester Fosse) |
Ground |
King Power Stadium Belvoir Drive Training Complex Holmes Park |
Capacity | King Power Stadium 32,262 |
Owner | King Power International |
Chairman | Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha |
Manager |
Steve Beaglehole (Under 23s) Trevor Peake (Under 18s) |
League | Professional Development League |
Website | Club website |
Leicester City Under-23s are the reserve team of Leicester City F.C. The team mainly consists of Under-23 players at the club, although senior players occasionally play in the reserve side, for instance when they are recovering from injury. The Under-23s team are managed by Steve Beaglehole and they play in the Premier League 2.
Leicester City F.C. Academy are the youth team of Leicester City F.C, directed by Jon Rudkin and managed by Trevor Peake. Leicester City's academy has had category one status under the Elite Player Performance Plan since July 2013.
Although less famous than the likes of Manchester United or West Ham United's youth systems, the Leicester City Academy has been one of the more productive academies in the East Midlands. England internationals Peter Shilton, Gary Lineker, David Nish, Steve Whitworth and Emile Heskey, as well as Don Revie, who played for and managed England all began their careers with the Foxes. , a Scottish international, former footballer of the year and a double winning captain with Arsenal, who was described by Bob Paisley as the "player of the decade" at the end of the 1970s also came through the Foxes' ranks. Leicester's all-time top appearance makers Graham Cross and Sep Smith were also among notable products of the academy.
Current first-team players such as Welsh international Andy King, Ghanaian international Jeffrey Schlupp, defender Liam Moore and goalkeeper Conrad Logan have come through the club's youth system in recent years. Young strikers Tom Hopper and Harry Panayiotou also made their debuts in 2012, Harry Panayiotou dramatically scoring the final goal in a 2–1 win against Leeds United in the last game of the 2011–12 season. Tom Hopper was given the number 21 shirt ahead of the 2012–13 season.