Written by
Josh Schneider-Weiler & Simon Austin
October 25, 2024
QPR are the biggest risers in this year’s Academy Productivity Rankings, up 18 places from 60th to 42nd.
The Rankings are the only publicly-available resource of their kind and evaluate Academies according to the number of England-qualified players they produced in the 2023/24 season. You can view the full Rankings, featuring 86 clubs, as well as further insight and analysis (and many other benefits), by becoming a TGG Member.
Since the last edition of the Rankings, for 2021/22, QPR have given debuts to homegrown players Aaron Drewe, Rayan Kolli and Murphy Cooper. Drewe and Kolli played for them in 2023/24, while Cooper contributed points as a Swindon Town player.
In addition, several former QPR players have contributed points by making an impact at other clubs. Notable among them is defender Alfie Gilchrist, who was with the Hoops until he joined Chelsea at 11, made his debut for the Stamford Bridge outfit in September 2023 and went on to make a total of 11 Premier League appearances for them in 2023/24.
Full-back Darnell Furlong, who was with QPR from 11 to 24, was a mainstay for West Brom in their Championship campaign last season. And Raheem Sterling, who was with the Hoops from 10 to 16, featured in 31 Premier League games for Chelsea in his 13th season as a pro.
QPR Academy Director Alex Carroll told TGG: “We are extremely pleased to be the biggest risers in this year’s TGG Academy Productivity Rankings. The enhanced number of appearances being made across the game by our Academy graduates is testament to the outstanding staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to support the individual development of our players.
Biggest risers (2021/22 to 2023/24):
- QPR: 60th to 42nd – up 18
- Luton Town: 54th to 37th – 17
- Derby County: 39th to 27th – 12
- Preston North End: 47th to 36th – 11
- Newcastle United: 27th to 18th – 9
“We have made a number of exciting changes to our football strategy in recent months, creating an aligned methodology across our player pathway and introducing key integrated staff positions as we look to further support the production of players who thrive in the game.”
The Hoops have been making significant changes behind the scenes at their Academy under Carroll and new Chief Executive Christian Nourry. In July, they appointed Jon De Souza, the Premier League’s Coaching Pathways Manager, as their first Head of Methodology.
His remit is to ensure implementation of their game model and coaching methodology across the Academy, men’s and women’s teams.
At the same time, former Arsenal Under-23 Head Coach Kevin Betsy joined as Individual Development Coach, while club legend Andrew Impey has become Player Pathways Manager.
Luton and Derby make big climbs
Luton Town are the next biggest risers in the Rankings, up 17 from 54th to 37th. The Hatters benefitted from the extra weighting that the Rankings give to Premier League appearances, with former Academy player Cauley Woodrow remaining a regular in the side. At the other end of the spectrum, homegrown youngsters Zack Nelson and Joseph Johnson came through to make their Premier League debuts.
Luton graduates also continued to fare well elsewhere, such as James Justin (Leicester City), Max Aarons (AFC Bournemouth), Charlie Patino (Swansea City) and Alex Matos (Huddersfield Town on loan from Chelsea).
The next biggest risers are Derby County, up 12 from 39th in 2021/22 to 27th in 2023/24. The Category One side continue to gain points from the side that were Premier League National champions in 2019/20, which included Jordan Brown (Leyton Orient), Lee Buchanan (Birmingham City), Max Bird (Bristol City), Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth Argyle) and Louie Sibley (Oxford United). Other graduates include Omari Kellyman, who made his debut for Aston Villa last season before joining Chelsea for a big fee in the summer, Liam Delap, now with Ipswich Town in the Premier League, and Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes.
Next up are Preston North End, up 11 from 47th to 36th. Graduate Kian Best became a key member of their first team last season, while Noah Mawene broke through. Meanwhile, fellow graduates Josh Brownhill (Burnley) and Tyrhys Dolan (Blackburn Rovers) continued to be mainstays at nearby clubs in the North West.
The fifth biggest climbers were Category One Newcastle United, up nine from 27 to 18. The club have made the Academy a key part of their ambitions under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with former Sporting Director Dan Ashworth and his replacement Paul Mitchell leading.
Fallers
The biggest fallers in the Rankings are Crewe Alexandra, down 16 from ninth in 2021/22 to 25th in 2023/24. In fairness, achieving a ranking inside the top 10 was an incredible achievement for a club at Category Two and in League One.
For 2023/24, they suffered from the reduced weighting given to appearances in League Two, because they continued to field a lot of homegrown players. Being inside the top 30 of the Rankings remained a creditable performance for a club at their level.
Biggest fallers (2021/22 to 2023/24):
- Crewe Alexandra: 9th to 25th – down 16
- Bradford City: 65th to 80th – 15
- Mansfield Town: 70th to 85th – 15
- Plymouth Argyle: 31st to 45th – 14
- Bolton Wanderers: 22nd to 35th – 13
Bradford City also suffered a heavy fall, from 65th to 80th, which was a drop of 15 places. This was the same slide as Mansfield Town, who went from 70th to 85th, making them the second worst performing Academy when it comes to productivity, above only Salford City, who went up to Category Three in 2023/24.
Plymouth Argyle, in their first season back in the Championship since 2009/10, dropped 14 places from 31st to 45th although this was still a strong performance for a Category Three club.
Owner Simon Hallett, who spoke at TGG Live in September, is continuing to make the Academy a cornerstone of his vision for the Devon club.
Bolton Wanderers were the fifth biggest fallers, down 13 from 22nd to 35th, although again this was a decent performance for a Category Three and League One side.
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