Category One & Two teams set to come together in new play-offs

The new proposal, which is currently being considered by clubs as part of a review of the U21 Category Two games programme, would see the regionalised Professional Development League merged into a single group, with clubs playing each team in their region twice (home and away), as well as taking part in additional ‘out of region’ fixtures. 

These results would then generate a combined table that determines play-off positions, with the top eight teams qualifying for the play-off format featuring the eight Category One teams finishing between 17th and 24th in PL2.

This proposal would therefore provide an extended games programme for almost all PL2 teams, as well as reward those top-performing Category Two teams with the opportunity to play knock-out football against Category One opposition.

Birmingham City and Burnley have this week announced that they have been awarded Category One status following the latest round of audits conducted by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC), an independent body set up in 2018 to manage quality assurance of club Academies on behalf of the Premier League. 

This means that both clubs will compete in PL2 and the U18 Premier League from 2025/26. However, clubs from different categories can currently only face each other in the Premier League Cup.

Category Two Brentford recently beat Category One Southampton 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Premier League Cup and now face Category Two QPR in the final.

In the existing PL2 format, which would remain unchanged (other than the addition of Birmingham City and Burnley), the top 16 teams qualify for the end-of-season play-offs and the remaining teams end the campaign in mid-April when the league phase concludes. 

• Youth Hawk have provided the biggest database on English youth football since January 2014. They produce comprehensive coverage of the English Premier League 2, Under-18 Premier League, Professional Development League 2 and Under-18 League 2