Arsenal F.C. Reserves
Encyclopedia
Arsenal Reserves are the reserve team of Arsenal Football Club
.
They have been members of the FA Premier Reserve League
Southern Division since its foundation in 1999. They play their home games at Underhill Stadium
, which is also the home of Barnet FC
. The team mainly consists of Under-21 players at the club, with players under 18 playing for the Arsenal Academy
side. Senior players occasionally play in the reserve side, for instance when they are recovering from injury.
The reserves' head coach is Neil Banfield
, who picks and manages the side. Arsenal's head of youth development Liam Brady
and his assistant David Court
oversee the development of the squad in general.
as Royal Arsenal FC, with the reserve side initially set up in 1887. Initially playing friendlies and cup competitions, winning the 1889–90 Kent Junior Cup. In 1895–96 Woolwich Arsenal (as they had been renamed in 1891) reserves joined the Kent League
, winning the title the next season but leaving in 1900 or some time soon after. They later joined the London League
and won three titles during the 1900s.
From 1900–01 to 1902–03 the reserves played in the West Kent League, winning the title for every season they played. Too strong for the local opposition, in 1903 the team moved to South Eastern League, playing there until 1914–15 when football was suspended due to the First World War. Concurrent to this period, the reserves were also entered in the London League First Division
in seasons 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1913–14 and 1914–15. The club dropped the "Woolwich" from their name in 1913, becoming plain "Arsenal".
league (which was renamed the Football Combination in the summer of 1939). For the 1926–27 season, the competition was expanded to include teams as far afield as Portsmouth, Swansea, Southend and Leicester. During the inter-war period the reserves matched the first team's success, winning the Combination title eleven times. Additionally, from 1931 onwards the reserves were entered into the London FA Challenge Cup, winning it twice in 1933–34 and 1935–36.
To give opportunities to younger players, Arsenal created an 'A' team in 1929. Initially the 'A' team entered the London Professional Mid-Week League and were champions in 1931–32. They competed until 1933–34, until, during the summer of 1934, Arsenal took on Kent side Margate
as their nursery team. Arsenal agreed to send promising youngsters to Margate to give them experience in the Southern League
and were given first choice on any Margate players. The two clubs enjoyed the relationship for four years before Arsenal broke it off in 1938.. After that, Arsenal entered the reserve team in the Southern League in its own right. Home games were played at Enfield
's ground in Southbury Road. The club finished 6th in 1938–39
.
At the start of the 1939–40 season the reserves played two Football Combination games and one Southern League game before football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Arsenal did not run a reserve or an 'A' team during the war.
The 'A' team was resurrected at the start of the 1948–49 season when a team was entered in the Eastern Counties League
, Eastern Counties League Cup and East Anglian Cup, winning the Eastern Counties League in 1954–55, after which they left the league (stating that it was so strong that they needed to enter a more competitive team, which would be more expensive), but continued to play in the East Anglian Cup for the next two seasons. In addition, the 'A' team was also entered in the London Professional Mid-Week League from 1949–50 to 1957–58, winning a second time in 1952–53. During the summer of 1958, the 'A' team was entered into the Metropolitan League
, Metropolitan League Cup and Metropolitan League Professional Cup. This proved a very successful venture until the mid 1960s. Towards the end of the 1960s, the 'A' team struggled against strong amateur teams and the club declined to enter a team after the close of the 1968–69 season.
; they have never won the competition, although they finished as runners-up in 2001–02. From the 1999–2000 season, the reserves have played in the FA Premier Reserve League (South). Players from the reserve team have also been used extensively in the League Cup
since the 1997–98 season.
'A' team
on Arsenal TV Online, a paid subscription service on Arsenal FC's website
, since 2004. Since January 2008, they have started to be broadcast on Arsenal TV
, a television station
dedicated to the club. However this was stopped in August 2009 after Arsenal TV stopped broadcasting.
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
They have been members of the FA Premier Reserve League
FA Premier Reserve League
The Premier Reserve League is the reserve team league for the top English football teams in the Premier League...
Southern Division since its foundation in 1999. They play their home games at Underhill Stadium
Underhill Stadium
Underhill is the home of Barnet F.C. It is situated in Barnet in the London Borough of Barnet and has a capacity of 6,200. The stadium is famous for its slope from the North to South end. It is also used for Arsenal reserve games....
, which is also the home of Barnet FC
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
. The team mainly consists of Under-21 players at the club, with players under 18 playing for the Arsenal Academy
Arsenal F.C. Academy
Arsenal Football Club Academy are the youth team of Arsenal Football Club. They currently play in the FA Premier Academy League, the highest level of youth football in England...
side. Senior players occasionally play in the reserve side, for instance when they are recovering from injury.
The reserves' head coach is Neil Banfield
Neil Banfield
Neil Banfield is an English football player and coach. He is currently the coach of Arsenal Reserves....
, who picks and manages the side. Arsenal's head of youth development Liam Brady
Liam Brady
Liam Brady is a former Irish association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team....
and his assistant David Court
David Court
David John Court is an English former footballer, now turned coach.Court joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1959, turning professional in January 1962. Initially a centre forward or inside forward, he was a regular goalscorer for the Gunners' youth and reserve sides...
oversee the development of the squad in general.
1887–1919
Arsenal have had a reserve team since their early days based in PlumsteadPlumstead
Plumstead is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead is a multi cultural area with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, in similarity to local areas such as Woolwich and Thamesmead...
as Royal Arsenal FC, with the reserve side initially set up in 1887. Initially playing friendlies and cup competitions, winning the 1889–90 Kent Junior Cup. In 1895–96 Woolwich Arsenal (as they had been renamed in 1891) reserves joined the Kent League
Kent League
The Kent League is an English football league for teams based in Kent and south east London, which was established in 1966. It was also the name of a similar league which existed from 1894 until 1959.-History:...
, winning the title the next season but leaving in 1900 or some time soon after. They later joined the London League
London League
The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. . One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was...
and won three titles during the 1900s.
From 1900–01 to 1902–03 the reserves played in the West Kent League, winning the title for every season they played. Too strong for the local opposition, in 1903 the team moved to South Eastern League, playing there until 1914–15 when football was suspended due to the First World War. Concurrent to this period, the reserves were also entered in the London League First Division
London League
The London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. . One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was...
in seasons 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1913–14 and 1914–15. The club dropped the "Woolwich" from their name in 1913, becoming plain "Arsenal".
1919–1939
Following the end of World War I, Arsenal Reserves took the first team's place in the London CombinationFootball Combination
The Football Combination , is a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England and Wales...
league (which was renamed the Football Combination in the summer of 1939). For the 1926–27 season, the competition was expanded to include teams as far afield as Portsmouth, Swansea, Southend and Leicester. During the inter-war period the reserves matched the first team's success, winning the Combination title eleven times. Additionally, from 1931 onwards the reserves were entered into the London FA Challenge Cup, winning it twice in 1933–34 and 1935–36.
To give opportunities to younger players, Arsenal created an 'A' team in 1929. Initially the 'A' team entered the London Professional Mid-Week League and were champions in 1931–32. They competed until 1933–34, until, during the summer of 1934, Arsenal took on Kent side Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
as their nursery team. Arsenal agreed to send promising youngsters to Margate to give them experience in the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
and were given first choice on any Margate players. The two clubs enjoyed the relationship for four years before Arsenal broke it off in 1938.. After that, Arsenal entered the reserve team in the Southern League in its own right. Home games were played at Enfield
Enfield F.C.
Enfield F.C. is a football club, formed in June 2007 after Enfield F.C. ceased to exist....
's ground in Southbury Road. The club finished 6th in 1938–39
1938–39 Southern Football League
The 1938–39 Southern Football League season saw Colchester United win the title. Three clubs applied to join the Football League, although none were successful...
.
At the start of the 1939–40 season the reserves played two Football Combination games and one Southern League game before football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Arsenal did not run a reserve or an 'A' team during the war.
1945–1999
For the 1946–47 season, the Football Combination resumed but the league was split into two divisions with the winners of each division playing in a final to decide the champions. A new competition was introduced – the Football Combination Cup. This was the same teams that played in the Football Combination but divided into 4 groups with the winners of each group playing in semi-finals and a final. This format continued until the end of the 1954–55 season. From 1955–56 the Football Combination continued generally as a normal league format, occasionally consisting of two divisions with promotion and relegation. The Football Combination Cup was discontinued but re-instated for seasons 1965–66 to 1969–70 inclusive and 1996–97. The reserves continued to be entered in the London FA Challenge Cup until the 1973–74 season, with the exception of 1961–62 when the first team were entered.The 'A' team was resurrected at the start of the 1948–49 season when a team was entered in the Eastern Counties League
Eastern Counties Football League
The Eastern Counties Football League is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suffolk, northern Essex and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is a feeder to the regional divisions of the Isthmian League and Southern...
, Eastern Counties League Cup and East Anglian Cup, winning the Eastern Counties League in 1954–55, after which they left the league (stating that it was so strong that they needed to enter a more competitive team, which would be more expensive), but continued to play in the East Anglian Cup for the next two seasons. In addition, the 'A' team was also entered in the London Professional Mid-Week League from 1949–50 to 1957–58, winning a second time in 1952–53. During the summer of 1958, the 'A' team was entered into the Metropolitan League
Metropolitan League
The Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England.The league was founded in 1949 after several clubs learnt plans for a second division of the Southern League would come to nothing shortly before the start of the season. Originally named the Metropolitan & District League,...
, Metropolitan League Cup and Metropolitan League Professional Cup. This proved a very successful venture until the mid 1960s. Towards the end of the 1960s, the 'A' team struggled against strong amateur teams and the club declined to enter a team after the close of the 1968–69 season.
1999–present
In 1999 they left the Combination to become founder members of the FA Premier Reserve LeagueFA Premier Reserve League
The Premier Reserve League is the reserve team league for the top English football teams in the Premier League...
; they have never won the competition, although they finished as runners-up in 2001–02. From the 1999–2000 season, the reserves have played in the FA Premier Reserve League (South). Players from the reserve team have also been used extensively in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
since the 1997–98 season.
Current squad
- As of 23 November 2011.
On loan
Honours
Reserve team- Football CombinationFootball CombinationThe Football Combination , is a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England and Wales...
(formerly the London Combination): 18
- 1922–23, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1983–84, 1989–90
- Football CombinationFootball CombinationThe Football Combination , is a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England and Wales...
Cup: 3
- Football Combination
- 1952–53, 1967–68, 1969–70
- London FA Challenge Cup: 7
- 1933–34, 1935–36, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1962–63, 1969–70
- Kent LeagueKent LeagueThe Kent League is an English football league for teams based in Kent and south east London, which was established in 1966. It was also the name of a similar league which existed from 1894 until 1959.-History:...
: 1
- Kent League
- 1896–97
- West Kent League: 3
- 1900–01, 1901–02, 1902–03
- London LeagueLondon LeagueThe London League was a football competition that was held in the London and surrounding areas of south-east England from 1896 until 1964.In 1896 the president of the London League was Arnold Hills founder of Thames Ironworks F.C. . One of the men who helped draft the rules of the competition was...
First Division: 3
- London League
- 1901–02, 1903–04, 1906–07
- Kent Junior Cup: 1
- 1889–90
'A' team
- London Professional Mid-Week League
- 1931–32, 1952–53
- Eastern Counties League
- 1954–55
- Metropolitan LeagueMetropolitan LeagueThe Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England.The league was founded in 1949 after several clubs learnt plans for a second division of the Southern League would come to nothing shortly before the start of the season. Originally named the Metropolitan & District League,...
- Metropolitan League
- 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63
- Metropolitan League Cup
- 1960–61, 1965–66
- Metropolitan League Professional Cup
- 1960–61, 1961–62
Coverage
All of Arsenal Reserves' Premier Reserve League matches have been broadcastInternet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
on Arsenal TV Online, a paid subscription service on Arsenal FC's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, since 2004. Since January 2008, they have started to be broadcast on Arsenal TV
Arsenal TV
Arsenal TV was a sports television channel devoted to coverage of the English football club Arsenal. It was a part of the Setanta Sports package and was similar to other Setanta's other channels Celtic TV, Rangers TV and LFC TV.-History:...
, a television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
dedicated to the club. However this was stopped in August 2009 after Arsenal TV stopped broadcasting.