Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Premier League clubs vote to change the structure of Under-21s football from next season
Premier League flag at Villa Park (Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Premier League clubs have voted in favour to change the structure of academy football next season.
Currently, the Premier League 2 is made up of a first division and second division, but this will change from the start of 2023/24, as clubs have voted to bring in a one-tier Swiss-style format for the Under-21s from the start of next season, as first reported by Youth Hawk.
Only Category One academies can compete in Premier League 2, but Aston Villa have only competed in the second tier from 2016–17 – when the competition’s age limit increased from under-21 to under-23. This was then reversed last years and next season we’ll be seeing the biggest change of all after clubs have expressed concerns about whether the current system best prepares youth players for first-team football.
