Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy

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Coordinates: 53°04′19″N 2°26′39″W / 53.071862°N 2.444094°W / 53.071862; -2.444094
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

53°04′19″N 2°26′39″W / 53.071862°N 2.444094°W / 53.071862; -2.444094 The Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy is the player development centre of English Football League club

Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and Wales international David Vaughan
, plus the club's current manager and previous manager.

History

During the late 1980s, Gradi and club chairman

Shavington[4] (which eventually replaced the Gresty Road all-weather pitch, removed during redevelopment of Crewe's main stand in 1999-2000). By 2015, player sales had generated over £20 million which had largely been invested in modernising Gresty Road and in developing its Academy set-up.[5] Crewe was the only club outside the top two divisions to have a Category Two academy club.[5]

Players who passed through the ranks at Crewe include the England international players

Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and Wales international David Vaughan
.

Over 100 former youth players have made it into the first team at Crewe. In April 2013, in the team's final game of the season, manager

Steve Davis fielded a team whose starting 11 were all Crewe Academy graduates.[6][7] This feat was repeated five years later by Davis's successor David Artell (formerly operations manager at the Academy) on 5 May 2018.[8]

In April 2022, Artell's immediate successor as Crewe manager, Alex Morris, became the first Academy graduate to manage the club's first team, with another graduate, Lee Bell, as assistant.[9] Bell's predecessor as assistant manager, Kenny Lunt, was also an Academy graduate. In November 2022, after Morris stepped down for compassionate reasons to become assistant manager,[10][11] Bell was appointed as Crewe manager,[12] becoming the second Academy graduate to manage the club.

In 2020–2021, Crewe's academy was ranked 11th highest of 82 in England and Wales, and was the highest ranked Category Two Academy, in terms of producing players who had made league appearances.[13] In 2021–2022, the academy climbed to 9th overall, ahead of Liverpool's academy.[14]

Notable graduates

Players highlighted in bold have gained international caps for their countries. Players who were signed straight to the first team from elsewhere are not included (such as former internationals

Geoff Thomas
).

References

  1. ^ Hornbrook, p.36.
  2. ^ Hornbrook, p.56.
  3. ^ Hornbrook, p.94.
  4. ^ Hornbrook, p.118.
  5. ^ a b McClurg, Ian (9 February 2015). "The pioneering work of Crewe Alexandra's Academy". These Football Times. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Crewe 2-0 Walsall". BBC Sport. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  7. ^ Scott, Ged (24 April 2013). "Crewe Alexandra: Dario Gradi's academy dream set to come true". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Cheltenham Town". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  9. ^ "David Artell: Crewe Alexandra part company with boss following relegation to League Two". BBC Sport. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Alex Morris steps down as First-Team Manager". Crewe Alexandra. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Alex Morris: Crewe Alexandra boss steps down to be assistant, Lee Bell becomes interim manager". BBC Sport. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Lee Bell appointed First Team Manager". www.crewealex.net. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  13. ^ Griffiths, Gwyn (13 December 2021). "Crewe Alex: 'best' academy is punching above its weight against big clubs says Artell". Crewe Nub News.
  14. ^ "Top 10 academy ranking is 'credit to hard-working staff'". CreweAlex.net. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

Sources

  • Hornbrook, Jules (2000). The Gradi Years. Crewe.
    ISBN 0953887707.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )

External links
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