Southampton Football Club Academy or Saints Academy is the youth organisation run by Southampton Football Club to encourage and develop young footballers in the South of England. There are currently 8 squads at the Academy.

• Under 18
• Under 16
• Under 14
• Under 13
• Under 12
• Under 11
• Under 10
• Under 9

International players

Amongst the players who passed through the Saints Academy and went on to represent their country are:
Chris Baird

Chris Baird

Christopher Patrick "Chris" Baird is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for Fulham and the Northern Ireland national football team.-Southampton:...

 Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale

Gareth Frank Bale is a Welsh footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team. Bale began his professional career with Southampton in 2005 and was transferred to Tottenham two years later...

 Leon Best

Leon Best

Leon Julian Brendan Best is an English-born Irish footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League team Newcastle United and the Republic of Ireland national football team. Best represented Ireland at under-21 level and won his first full international cap against Nigeria on 29 May 2009.Best...

 Wayne Bridge

Wayne Bridge

Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....

 Arron Davies

Arron Davies

Arron Rhys Davies is a Welsh international footballer who currently plays for Northampton Town.-Southampton:Davies was brought up in Llantwit Major, where he attended Llantwit Major Comprehensive School....

 Scott McDonald

Scott McDonald

Scott Douglas McDonald is an Australian football player who currently plays as a striker for English Championship side Middlesbrough and the Australian national team. Scott McDonald is of Scottish heritage.-Early career:...

 Tim Sparv

Tim Sparv

Tim Sparv is a Finnish footballer who plays for FC Groningen as a midfielder.-Club career:Born in Oravais, Ostrobothnia, Sparv signed for Southampton in 2003, leaving the Finnish third division outfit Norrvalla FF. He spent three years in the renowned youth academy of Southampton...

 Jake Thomson

Jake Thomson

Jake Samuel Thomson is an English footballer of Trinidadian descent. He currently plays for Conference National side Forest Green Rovers on loan from Kettering Town.-Club career:...

 Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott

Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...

In the past, prior to the establishment of the academy, the Southampton youth system has produced other international players, such as Terry Paine

Terry Paine

Terence Lionel Paine MBE is a former English footballer.Paine made 713 football league appearances for Southampton F.C. and 111 for Hereford United F.C...

, Mick Channon

Mick Channon

Michael Roger "Mick" Channon is a sportsman who enjoyed a career as a striker with Southampton and England in the 1970s and later became a hugely successful racehorse trainer.-Southampton:...

, Matthew Le Tissier

Matthew Le Tissier

Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...

 and Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...

.

Four former Saints academy players featured in the England Under-21

England national under-21 football team

England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 match against Montenegro on 7 September 2007: Martin Cranie

Martin Cranie

Martin James Cranie is an English footballer, currently playing for Championship club Coventry City. He began his career with the famous Southampton youth academy playing alongside Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale before moving to local rivals Portsmouth and later to Coventry City after several loan...

 and Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott

Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...

 both started (with Walcott setting up the second goal) whilst Dexter Blackstock

Dexter Blackstock

Dexter Anthony Titus Blackstock is an English footballer who currently plays for Nottingham Forest in the Football League Championship. He plays as a centre-forward.-Southampton:...

 and Andrew Surman

Andrew Surman

Andrew Ronald Edward Surman is a South African-born English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Norwich City. He spent the first five years of his career with Southampton where he played more than 100 games and has also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and loan spells at Walsall and...

 came on as second half substitutes, with Surman scoring the final goal in a 3-0 victory, tapping the ball home in stoppage time from a knock-down by Blackstock.

Present structure

The academy manager is Matt Crocker (who served an apprenticeship at Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

), assisted by Terry Moore.

The aim of the Southampton academy is to "...produce premiership class players..."

Currently Southampton's academy set up is one of the best in the country and they have regularly reached the latter stages of the FA Youth Cup

FA Youth Cup

The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...

, as well as being successful in the FA Premier Academy League championship. In season 2010-11 the U18s were only just "...Pipped to the Title..." by one point on the last day of the season of the Group A league. Southampton had to win and Fulham had to draw or lose for Southampton to come top. After winning 1-3 away to Coventry City the U18s were dismayed to discover Fulham had come back from being 0-3 down versus Leicester City to win 5-3.

Under 21 squad 2011–12

Academy 2nd Years 2011–12

Academy 1st Years 2011–12

Out on Loan