sport.wikisort.org - Team

In addition to the Motherwell F.C. first team, competing in the Scottish Premiership, the club also has a reserve team who play in the SPFL Reserve League as well as younger age group teams in their youth system. They fielded a reserve team in defunct competitions for many years.

Motherwell Under-20s

Full name	Motherwell Football Club Under-20s
Ground	Excelsior Stadium Airdrie
Home colours Away colours

Reserve Team

In the early 1950s, reserve teams were incorporated into the third tier of the senior Scottish Football League, with Motherwell 'A' taking part for six seasons of the arrangement.[1][2][3]

Motherwell were an ever-present in the Scottish Premier Reserve League since its formation in the 1998–99 season. Initially starting as an Under-21 league, the reserve league was open to all age groups from season 2004–05.[4]

The Motherwell reserve team withdrew their team from the 2009–10 season due to financial constraints and a lack of support from other clubs, leading to the competition's abandonment.[5] Motherwell Reserves then played friendly matches.

In July 2018, it was reported that reserve leagues would be reintroduced in lieu of the development leagues that had been in place since 2009. The top tier of the new SPFL Reserve League featured 18 clubs, whilst a second-tier reserve League comprised nine clubs. Other than a minimum age of 16, no age restrictions applied to the leagues.[6] At the end of its first season (2018–19) several clubs intimated that they would withdraw from the Reserve League to play a variety of challenge matches,[7] but Motherwell were one of those who chose to remain.

Motherwell Reserves usually played their home matches at Dalziel Park, a sports facility outside Motherwell that is also the training ground of the first-team, but also used Forthbank Stadium in Stirling and Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie.

Under 20s Team

History

Until 1998, Motherwell competed in the youth competitions administered by the Scottish Football League. They then took part in the age group leagues run by the Scottish Premier League[8] and the Scottish Professional Football League.

From 2015 onwards it is possible for the Well academy to participate in the UEFA Youth League by their under-18 side (previously under-17s) winning the prior season's league at that age group; however this has not yet been achieved.

The Scottish Youth Cup (which began in 1985) is administered separately, with Motherwell winning the competition for the first time in 2016.

For the 2016–17 edition of the Scottish Challenge Cup, under-20 teams of Premiership clubs were granted entry to compete against adult teams for the first time in the modern era. In the 2018–19 edition, with the age now changed to under-21s, Motherwell reached the quarter-final stage, the best performance by a 'colt' team up to that point, losing 2–1 to eventual winners Ross County.[9]

Having played home games at Fir Park,[10] Hannah Park (Shotts) and Creamery Park (Bathgate), their regular stadium is now Airdrie's Excelsior Stadium.

In 2015, former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan coached the Under-20 side.[11] In 2019, Maurice Ross was appointed coach.[12]

Reserve Team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 30 FW  SCO Corey O’Donnell 31 GK  SCO Matthew Connelly 32 MF  SCO Daniel Hunter 33 DF  SCO Ewan Wilson 34 DF  SCO Logan Dunachie 35 DF  SCO Sam Campbell 36 MF  SCO Kian Speirs 37 FW  NGA Muhammad Adam 38 MF  SCO Lennon Miller 39 MF  SCO Adam MacDonald 40 FW  SCO Richard Tambwe

No. Pos. Nation Player 41 GK  SCO Josh Bogan 42 DF  SCO Brannan McDermott 43 DF  SCO Robbie Garcia 44 DF  SCO Ali Gould 45 DF  SCO Arran Bone 46 DF  SCO Max Ross 47 MF  SCO Luca Ross 48 MF  SCO Dylan Wells 49 FW  SCO Mark Ferrie 50 MF  SCO Shay Nevans

Academy

The club also operates the Motherwell Academy. The academy was formed in 2012, and consists of teams made up of players and coaches from Under-11 to Under-17 level.[13] The youth teams train at a sports facility based within Braidhurst High School.[14] From 2013 the director was former Motherwell captain Scott Leitch,[15] later being replaced by Steven Hammell who also had the same role as a player until his retirement.[16]

In 2017, the Motherwell academy was one of eight across the country designated 'elite' status on the introduction of Project Brave, an SFA initiative to concentrate the development of the best young players at a smaller number of clubs with high quality facilities and coaching than was previously the case.[17][18]

Staff

Position	Name[19]
Academy Director	Steven Hammell
Under 18s Manager	Brian Kerr
Head of Intermediate Academy	David Clarkson
Head of Junior Academy	Paul Burns
Head of Recruitment	Nick Daws

Honours

Reserves

• Scottish Reserve League[lower-alpha 1][20]
  • Winners: 1912–13
  • Runners-up: 1988–89, 1994–95, 2006–07
• SPFL Reserve Cup
  • Runners-up: 2018–19[21]
• Scottish 2nd XI Cup[20]
  • Winners: 1942–43, 1948–49, 1956–57
• Scottish Reserve League Cup[20]
  • Winners: 1987–88

Youths

• Scottish Youth Cup
  • Winners: 2016
  • Runners-up: 1987
• SPFL Development League[lower-alpha 2]
  • Runner-up (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10

Notes

Former youth team players

[22]

References

External links

• Reserve Squad, Motherwell official website
• Academy, Motherwell official website
• SFA Youth Cup results and archive, Scottish Football Association website

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