# Reading F.C. Under-23s and Academy

The Reading Academy refers to the development teams of Reading Football Club. The club takes part in the Professional Development League system, with the Under-21 competing in the Premier League 2 – Division 2, and the Under-18 competing in the U18 Premier League – South Division.
Under the old youth training scheme, the club produced a number of first team players including Ady Williams, Scott Taylor and future England international Neil Webb. Since the Academy opened in 1999, 89 graduates have gone on to play first team football for Reading including Gylfi Sigurðsson, who was later sold for a club record transfer fee.

## History

Reading were granted Academy status by the Football Association in February 1999. The first Academy manager was John Stephenson who oversaw the club's youth development until October 2000 when he left to join Preston North End. He was succeeded by former Reading goalkeeper, and the then goalkeeping coach, Nick Hammond. After his appointment as Reading's first Director of football in September 2003, Hammond combined all three roles until the appointment of Exeter City boss Eamonn Dolan as the new Academy manager in October 2004. The club originally trained in rented facilities at Sonning Lane and Bradfield College but moved to their own training ground at Hogwood Park in Arborfield in 2004. A two-year Academy partnership with Boreham Wood was announced in July 2012 with the club also aiming to have a first-team composed of 50% Academy players. The introduction in 2012 of the four-tier academy system under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) forced the club to search for a new training ground in order to meet the criteria for Category One status. With this in mind, the club agreed in principle to buy land at Bearwood Lakes Golf Club for a new training facility at a cost of between £10 million and £20 million in May 2013. In July 2013, the club confirmed they had achieved Category One status.
The Reading reserves competed in the Capital League between 1995 and 1998 before joining The Football Combination which they played in from 1998 until 2006, excluding the 1999–2000 season. With the senior side's promotion to the Premier League in 2006, the reserve team was also promoted to the Premier Reserve League for the 2006–07 season. Under future first-team manager Brian McDermott, the reserves finished top of the Southern section and beat Bolton reserves 2–0 to win the overall title in their first season. They finished second the following year but were relegated as the first team dropped into the Championship. The reserves rejoined the Football Combination following their relegation and remained there until 2010 when they withdrew in order to arrange their own fixtures against a higher level of opposition.
With the club's application for Category One status under the EPPP, the under-21 and Academy (under-18) teams competed in the new Professional Development League 1 for the 2012–13 season. The teams were successful under the new format with the under-18s finishing as runners-up to Fulham in the inaugural competition, and the under-21s winning the first U21 Premier League Cup the following year.
In July 2022, Reading confirmed that their Academy had lost its Category One status as a result of downsizing during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, and as a result the club the dropped out of the Premier League 2 Division 2 to the Professional Development League. The club also confirmed their intentions to return to a Category One Academy.

## Under-21s

The under-21s play their home matches at Hogwood Park, the club's training ground, with four games each season being played at the Madejski Stadium. Three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 are allowed to be selected for each fixture, with scholars from the Academy squad also eligible to play.

### Under-21 squad

    As of 9 October 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | DF | ZIM | Tivonge Rushesha |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Jayden Wareham |
| 23 | DF | IRL | John Clarke |
| 26 | FW | MLT | Basil Tuma |
| 28 | MF | GNB | Mamadi Camará |
| 30 | DF | ENG | Andre Garcia |
| 31 | GK | JAM | Coniah Boyce-Clarke |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Abraham Kanu |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Louie Holzman |
| 35 | MF | BEL | Jack Senga |
| 36 | DF | IRL | John Ryan |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Adrian Akande |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 38 | DF | ENG | Michael Stickland |
| 39 | DF | ENG | Ashqar Ahmed |
| 40 | MF | ENG | Charlie Wellens |
| 41 | GK | ENG | Tom Norcott |
| 42 | DF | ENG | Boyd Beacroft |
| 43 | FW | ENG | Jeremiah Okine-Peters |
| 44 | MF | ENG | Tyler Sackey |
| 46 | MF | NZL | Jacob Hammond-Chambers-Borgnis |
| 47 | MF | ENG | Shay Spencer |
| 49 | DF | ENG | Emmanuel Osho |
| 50 | MF | ENG | Joseph Barough |
| 51 | GK | ENG | Harrison Rhone |

## Under-18 team

Each year, following the completion of their full-time education, the club signs a number of schoolboys, from both within the academy and from other clubs, on scholarship agreements. The scholarships last two years after which the player signs professionally or is released by the club. In instances where a player is particularly valued, the club may opt to sign them on professional terms at an earlier age. The scholars make up the bulk of the Academy team which competes in the under-18 league, though younger players are also eligible. As well as the league, the Academy also enters a team into the FA Youth Cup.
The under-18s play their home matches at Hogwood Park, the club's training ground, with a selection of games each season being played at the Madejski Stadium. Three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 18 are allowed to be selected for each fixture, with scholars from the Academy squad also eligible to play.

### Current Under-18s squad

    As of 6 November 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 45 | MF | ENG | Kiyan Coke-Miles-Smith |
| 52 | DF | ENG | Sam Harrison |
| 53 | DF | GHA | Phillip Duah |
| 54 | MF | ENG | T'Shay Saint-Louis |
| — | GK | ENG | James Sharlott |
| — | GK | ENG | Matthew Pullinger |
| — | GK | ENG | Josh Welland |
| — | DF | ENG | Dajara Martin |
| — | DF | ENG | Jacob Neptune |
| — | DF | ENG | Kai Source |
| — | DF | ENG | Ryan Zie |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Ryan Beacroft |
| — | MF | ENG | Maddox McMillan |
| — | MF | ENG | Henry Agyekum |
| — | MF | ENG | Callum Fuller-Thompson |
| — | MF | ENG | Dare Bailey |
| — | MF | ALG | Aaron Nour |
| — | MF | ENG | Jerae Jones |
| — | MF | ENG | Luke Howard |
| — | MF | ENG | Carter Bowdery |
| — | MF | ENG | Denim Nnamudi |
| — | FW | ENG | Verell George |

## Staff

* Academy manager: Michael Gilkes
* U21 Manager: Noel Hunt
* U21 Goalkeeper Coach: Robert Shay
* U18 Manager: Mikele Leigertwood
* U18 Coach: Michael Donaldson
* Head of Academy Physiotherapy: Steve Cottrell
* Lead Academy Doctor: Dr Marc Batista
* U21 Academy Doctor: Manish Thakker
* U18 Physiotherapist: Matt Flynn
* U21 Physiotherapist: Cian Dunne
* U9-16 Physiotherapist: Pippa Inwood
* U9-16 Physiotherapist: Alex Meredith
* U21 Sport Scientist: Harry Bruford
* U18 Sport Scientist: Luca Avena
* PDP Strength and Conditioning Coach: David Breakspear
* U9-16 Sport Scientist: Callum Stratford
* Lead Academy and U21 Analyst: Andy Chenery
* U18 Performance Analyst: Joe Cole
* U9-16 Performance Analyst: Matt Burdekin
* Academy Performance Coach: Ben Marks

## Former players
### Graduates

Prior to the establishment of the Academy, Reading produced several players for the first-team who went on to have successful careers. Neil Webb became Reading's youngest ever goalscorer aged 17 years and 31 days and made a total of 81 appearances for the club, later going on to win 26 England caps. Ady Williams made nearly 400 appearances in three spells between 1988 and 2004 and was capped 13 times for Wales whilst Stuart Lovell made 227 league appearances, scored 58 times and played twice for the Australia national team. Others to have come through the ranks include Johnny Brooks, Jerry Williams, Steve Hetzke, Scott Taylor and Maurice Evans, who made over 400 league appearances for Reading and later managed the first-team between 1977 and 1984.
Since the Academy opened in 1999, 89 graduates have gone on to play for the first team. Players who have gone on to play for their country at full international level are marked in bold whilst those still at the club are marked in italics.
* Alex Haddow
* Darius Henderson
* Nathan Tyson
* Jamie Ashdown
* Darren Campbell
* Peter Castle
* Jamie Young
* Simon Cox
* Shane Long
* Curtis Osano
* Alex Pearce
* James Henry
* Julian Kelly
* Jem Karacan
* Gylfi Sigurðsson
* Simon Church
* Scott Davies
* Hal Robson-Kanu
* Nicholas Bignall
* Ben Hamer
* Jordan Obita
* Jake Taylor
* Alex McCarthy
* Lawson D'Ath
* Dominic Samuel
* Michael Hector
* Ryan Edwards
* Craig Tanner
* Jake Cooper
* Jack Stacey
* Aaron Kuhl
* Aaron Tshibola
* Sean Long
* Mikkel Andersen
* Niall Keown
* Andrija Novakovich
* Tariqe Fosu
* Josh Barrett
* Robert Dickie
* Tennai Watson
* Liam Kelly
* Omar Richards
* Axel Óskar Andrésson
* Andy Rinomhota
* Sam Smith
* Danny Loader
* Tom Holmes
* Tom McIntyre
* Gabriel Osho
* Ryan East
* Michael Olise
* Teddy Howe
* Akin Odimayo
* Andre Burley
* Jeriel Dorsett
* Ramarni Medford-Smith
* Ben House
* Luke Southwood
* Ethan Bristow
* Nahum Melvin-Lambert
* Dejan Tetek
* Lynford Sackey
* Nelson Abbey
* Oliver Pendlebury
* Conor Lawless
* Mamadi Camará
* Claudio Osorio
* Kian Leavy
* Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan
* Michael Stickland
* Jahmari Clarke
* Tyrell Ashcroft
* Louie Holzman
* Kelvin Abrefa
* Basil Tuma
* Coniah Boyce-Clarke
* Jack Senga
* Caylan Vickers
* Taylan Harris
* Tom Norcott
* Andre Garcia
* Abraham Kanu
* Emmanuel Osho
* Shay Spencer
* Tyler Sackey
* Ashqar Ahmed
* Joseph Barough
* Boyd Beacroft
* Jeremiah Okine-Peters

#### Statistics

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Academy graduates Reading F.C. and international careers :
| Player | Position | Age of debut | Reading | Reading | Reading | Reading | Reading | International | International | International | U21/U23 International | U21/U23 International | U21/U23 International |
| Player | Position | Age of debut | Reading Career | Manager | Debut date | Apps | Goals | Country | Apps | Goals | Country | Apps | Goals |
| Alex Haddow | Midfielder | 17 years, 228 days | 1999–2001 | Tommy Burns | (1999-08-24)24 August 1999 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Darius Henderson | Forward | 18 years, 193 days | 1999–2004 | Alan Pardew | (2000-03-18)18 March 2000 | 83 | 15 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nathan Tyson | Midfielder | 17 years, 361 days | 1999–2004 | Alan Pardew | (2000-04-29)29 April 2000 | 38 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jamie Ashdown | Goalkeeper | 19 years, 287 days | 1998–2004 | Alan Pardew | (2000-09-12)12 September 2000 | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Darren Campbell | Midfielder | 17 years, 14 days | 2003–2005 | Alan Pardew | (2003-04-30)30 April 2003 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Peter Castle | Defender | 16 years, 49 days | 2003–2006 | Alan Pardew | (2003-04-30)30 April 2003 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jamie Young | Goalkeeper | 18 years, 201 days | 2003–2006 | Steve Coppell | (2004-03-13)13 March 2004 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Simon Cox | Forward | 18 years, 145 days | 2005–2008; 2014–2016 | Steve Coppell | (2005-09-20)20 September 2005 | 69 | 9 | Republic of Ireland | 30 | 4 | – | – | – |
| Shane Long | Forward | 18 years, 340 days | 2005–2011 2022–2023 | Steve Coppell | (2005-12-28)28 December 2005 | 235 | 56 | Republic of Ireland | 88 | 17 | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 0 |
| Curtis Osano | Midfielder | 18 years, 315 days | 2005–2008 | Steve Coppell | (2006-01-17)17 January 2006 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Alex Pearce | Defender | 18 years, 61 days | 2006–2015 | Steve Coppell | (2007-01-09)9 January 2007 | 240 | 15 | Republic of Ireland | 7 | 2 | Scotland | 2 | 0 |
| James Henry | Midfielder | 18 years, 107 days | 2006–2010 | Steve Coppell | (2007-09-25)25 September 2007 | 18 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Julian Kelly | Defender | 18 years, 341 days | 2008–2011 | Steve Coppell | (2008-08-12)12 August 2008 | 13 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jem Karacan | Midfielder | 19 years, 187 days | 2007–2015 | Steve Coppell | (2008-08-26)26 August 2008 | 175 | 12 | – | – | – | Turkey | 3 | 0 |
| Gylfi Sigurðsson | Midfielder | 18 years, 353 days | 2008–2010 | Steve Coppell | (2008-08-26)26 August 2008 | 51 | 22 | Iceland | 83 | 27 | Iceland | 14 | 6 |
| Simon Church | Forward | 20 years, 153 days | 2007–2013 | Steve Coppell | (2009-05-12)12 May 2009 | 122 | 24 | Wales | 38 | 3 | Wales | 15 | 8 |
| Scott Davies | Midfielder | 21 years, 151 days | 2006–2011 | Brendan Rodgers | (2009-08-08)8 August 2009 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 |
| Hal Robson-Kanu | Midfielder | 20 years, 79 days | 2007–2016 | Brendan Rodgers | (2009-08-08)8 August 2009 | 228 | 30 | Wales | 46 | 5 | Wales | 4 | 2 |
| Nicholas Bignall | Forward | 19 years, 31 days | 2008–2013 | Brendan Rodgers | (2009-08-11)11 August 2009 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ben Hamer | Goalkeeper | 21 years, 264 days | 2006–2011 | Brendan Rodgers | (2009-08-11)11 August 2009 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jordan Obita | Defender | 16 years, 246 days | 2010–2020 | Brian McDermott | (2010-08-11)11 August 2010 | 191 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jake Taylor | Midfielder | 18 years, 266 days | 2009–2016 | Brian McDermott | (2010-08-24)24 August 2010 | 36 | 3 | Wales | 1 | 0 | Wales | 10 | 0 |
| Alex McCarthy | Goalkeeper | 21 years, 78 days | 2007–2014 | Brian McDermott | (2011-02-19)19 February 2011 | 75 | 0 | England | 1 | 0 | England | 3 | 0 |
| Lawson D'Ath | Midfielder | 19 years, 14 days | 2010–2014 | Brian McDermott | (2012-01-07)7 January 2012 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dominic Samuel | Forward | 18 years, 254 days | 2012–2017 | Brian McDermott | (2012-12-11)11 December 2012 | 15 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Michael Hector | Defender | 21 years, 183 days | 2009–2015, 2015-16 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-01-18)18 January 2014 | 93 | 5 | Jamaica | 39 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Ryan Edwards | Midfielder | 20 years, 265 days | 2012–2015 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-09)9 August 2014 | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | Australia | 18 | 0 |
| Craig Tanner | Forward | 19 years, 289 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-12)12 August 2014 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jake Cooper | Defender | 19 years, 194 days | 2014–2017 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-16)16 August 2014 | 56 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jack Stacey | Midfielder | 18 years, 132 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-16)16 August 2014 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aaron Kuhl | Midfielder | 18 years, 201 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-19)19 August 2014 | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aaron Tshibola | Midfielder | 19 years, 233 days | 2013–2016 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-23)23 August 2014 | 17 | 0 | DR Congo | 15 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Sean Long | Defender | 19 years, 116 days | 2013–2017 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-08-26)26 August 2014 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 11 | 1 |
| Mikkel Andersen | Goalkeeper | 25 years, 277 days | 2007–2015 | Nigel Adkins | (2014-09-20)20 September 2014 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | Denmark | 14 | 0 |
| Niall Keown | Defender | 19 years, 339 days | 2013–2017 | Steve Clarke | (2015-03-10)10 March 2015 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 2 | 0 |
| Andrija Novakovich | Forward | 18 years, 171 days | 2015–2019 | Steve Clarke | (2015-03-14)14 March 2015 | 3 | 0 | United States | 3 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Tariqe Fosu | Midfielder | 19 years, 178 days | 2014–2017 | Steve Clarke | (2015-05-02)2 May 2015 | 1 | 0 | Ghana | 4 | 1 | - | - | - |
| Josh Barrett | Midfielder | 17 years, 261 days | 2015–2020 | Brian McDermott | (2016-03-08)8 March 2016 | 13 | 2 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 |
| Robert Dickie | Defender | 20 years, 65 days | 2014–2018 | Brian McDermott | (2016-05-07)7 May 2016 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tennai Watson | Defender | 19 years, 155 days | 2015–2021 | Jaap Stam | (2016-08-06)6 August 2016 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Liam Kelly | Midfielder | 20 years, 275 days | 2013–2019 | Jaap Stam | (2016-08-23)23 August 2016 | 94 | 9 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 0 |
| Omar Richards | Defender | 19 years, 171 days | 2016–2021 | Jaap Stam | (2017-08-05)5 August 2017 | 104 | 3 | – | – | – | England | 1 | 0 |
| Axel Óskar Andrésson | Defender | 19 years, 193 days | 2016–2019 | Jaap Stam | (2017-08-08)8 August 2017 | 2 | 0 | Iceland | 2 | 0 | Iceland | 18 | 3 |
| Andy Rinomhota | Midfielder | 20 years, 109 days | 2015–2022 | Jaap Stam | (2017-08-08)8 August 2017 | 139 | 4 | Zimbabwe | 10 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Sam Smith | Forward | 19 years, 153 days | 2015–2021 2023–2025 | Jaap Stam | (2017-08-08)8 August 2017 | 74 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Danny Loader | Forward | 16 years, 359 days | 2017–2020 | Jaap Stam | (2017-08-22)22 August 2017 | 35 | 2 | – | – | – | England | 9 | 1 |
| Tom Holmes | Defender | 17 years, 359 days | 2017–2024 2024 | Jaap Stam | (2018-03-06)6 March 2018 | 133 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tom McIntyre | Defender | 20 years, 39 days | 2016–2024 | Scott Marshall | (2018-12-15)15 December 2018 | 117 | 7 | – | – | – | Scotland | 3 | 0 |
| Gabriel Osho | Defender | 20 years, 130 days | 2016–2020 | Scott Marshall | (2018-12-22)22 December 2018 | 10 | 0 | Nigeria | 2 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Ryan East | Midfielder | 20 years, 217 days | 2016–2021 | José Gomes | (2019-03-12)12 March 2019 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Michael Olise | Midfielder | 17 years, 90 days | 2019–2021 | José Gomes | (2019-03-12)12 March 2019 | 73 | 7 | France | 4 | 0 | France | 7 | 1 |
| Teddy Howe | Defender | 20 years, 208 days | 2017–2020 | José Gomes | (2019-05-05)5 May 2019 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Akin Odimayo | Defender | 19 years, 272 days | 2019–2020 | José Gomes | (2019-08-27)27 August 2019 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Andre Burley | Defender | 20 years, 116 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | (2020-01-04)4 January 2020 | 3 | 0 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 27 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Ramarni Medford-Smith | Defender | 21 years, 75 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | (2020-01-04)4 January 2020 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jeriel Dorsett | Defender | 17 years, 255 days | 2019– | Mark Bowen | (2020-01-14)14 January 2020 | 44 | 1 | Montserrat | 7 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Ben House | Defender | 20 years, 204 days | 2019–2020 | Mark Bowen | (2020-01-25)25 January 2020 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | Scotland | 2 | 0 |
| Luke Southwood | Goalkeeper | 22 years, 274 days | 2020–2023 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | (2020-09-05)5 September 2020 | 30 | 0 | Northern Ireland | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Ethan Bristow | Defender | 18 years, 283 days | 2020–2022 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | (2020-09-05)5 September 2020 | 11 | 0 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Nahum Melvin-Lambert | Forward | 18 years, 283 days | 2020–2023 | Eddie Niedzwiecki | (2020-09-05)5 September 2020 | 3 | 0 | Saint Lucia | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Dejan Tetek | Midfielder | 17 years, 357 days | 2020–2023 | Veljko Paunović | (2020-09-15)15 September 2020 | 21 | 0 | – | – | – | Serbia | 5 | 0 |
| Lynford Sackey | Forward | 17 years, 210 days | 2020–2022 | Veljko Paunović | (2020-09-15)15 September 2020 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nelson Abbey | Defender | 17 years, 18 days | 2020–2024 | Veljko Paunović | (2020-09-15)15 September 2020 | 31 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Oliver Pendlebury | Midfielder | 18 years, 356 days | 2020–2021 | Veljko Paunović | (2021-01-09)9 January 2021 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Conor Lawless | Midfielder | 19 years, 118 days | 2020–2021 | Veljko Paunović | (2021-01-09)9 January 2021 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mamadi Camará | Midfielder | 17 years, 9 days | 2020– | Veljko Paunović | (2021-01-09)9 January 2021 | 54 | 5 | Guinea-Bissau | 5 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Claudio Osorio | Midfielder | 18 years, 318 days | 2021–2023 | Veljko Paunović | (2021-08-10)10 August 2021 | 2 | 0 | Timor-Leste | 8 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Kian Leavy | Midfielder | 19 years, 142 days | 2021–2023 | Veljko Paunović | (2021-08-10)10 August 2021 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | Republic of Ireland | 2 | 0 |
| Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan | Forward | 19 years, 109 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | (2021-08-10)10 August 2021 | 83 | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Michael Stickland | Defender | 18 years, 351 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | (2021-08-10)10 August 2021 | 7 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jahmari Clarke | Forward | 17 years, 358 days | 2021–2024 | Veljko Paunović | (2021-08-10)10 August 2021 | 14 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tyrell Ashcroft | Defender | 19 years, 240 days | 2021–2022 | Marko Mitrović | (2021-11-02)2 November 2021 | 4 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Louie Holzman | Defender | 18 years, 53 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | (2022-01-08)8 January 2022 | 15 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kelvin Abrefa | Defender | 18 years, 65 days | 2021– | Veljko Paunović | (2022-02-12)12 February 2022 | 50 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Basil Tuma | Forward | 17 years, 107 days | 2022– | Paul Ince | (2022-08-09)9 August 2022 | 12 | 0 | Malta | 2 | 0 | Malta | 6 | 0 |
| Coniah Boyce-Clarke | Forward | 20 years, 68 days | 2019– | Noel Hunt | (2023-05-08)8 May 2023 | 7 | 0 | Jamaica | 1 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Jack Senga | Forward | 19 years, 101 days | 2021– | Noel Hunt | (2023-05-08)8 May 2023 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Caylan Vickers | Forward | 18 years, 226 days | 2023–2024 | Rubén Sellés | (2023-08-05)5 August 2023 | 22 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Taylan Harris | Midfielder | 17 years, 324 days | 2023–2024 | Rubén Sellés | (2023-09-19)19 September 2023 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tom Norcott | Goalkeeper | 18 years, 280 days | 2023– | Rubén Sellés | (2023-10-10)10 October 2023 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Andre Garcia | Defender | 16 years, 254 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-10)10 August 2024 | 36 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Emmanuel Osho | Defender | 17 years, 322 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-13)13 August 2024 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Abraham Kanu | Defender | 19 years, 41 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-13)13 August 2024 | 16 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Shay Spencer | Midfielder | | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-20)20 August 2024 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ashqar Ahmed | Defender | 16 years, 355 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-20)20 August 2024 | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tyler Sackey | Midfielder | 17 years, 353 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-08-20)20 August 2024 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Joseph Barough | Midfielder | 18 years, 216 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-11-05)5 November 2024 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Boyd Beacroft | Defender | 18 years, 349 days | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-11-05)5 November 2024 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jeremiah Okine-Peters | Forward | | 2024– | Rubén Sellés | (2024-11-05)5 November 2024 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 89 Players | 3,161 | 308 | 25 Players | 428 | 63 | 24 Players | 157 | 22 |

### Careers elsewhere

A number of players attached to the Academy as schoolboys and scholars, as well as those who signed professionally but never made a first team appearance, have gone on play league football elsewhere. Those that have gone on to play for their country at full international level are marked in bold and those who made their league debut whilst away on loan are marked in Italics.
* Jökull Andrésson
* Nick Arnold
* Charlie Austin
* Shandon Baptiste
* Marvin Bartley
* Abdulai Bell-Baggie
* Doug Bergqvist
* Jayden Bogle
* Kelvin Bossman
* Andre Boucaud
* Oliver Bozanic
* Henrik Breimyr
* Andre Burley
* Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
* Harry Cardwell
* Travis Clayton
* Daniel Carr
* Ethan Coleman
* Harry Cooksley
* Donervon Daniels
* Kevin Danso
* Cameron Edwards
* Samúel Friðjónsson
* Tyrese Fornah
* Tyler Frost
* Ben Gladwin
* John Goddard
* Tyler Goodrham
* Tom Hateley
* Jordan Holsgrove
* Jonny Hayes
* Bashir Humphreys
* Noor Husin
* Dominic Hyam
* Uche Ikpeazu
* Ji Dong-Won
* Zak Jules
* Clovis Kamdjo
* Ibrahim Kargbo Jr.
* Kim Won-sik
* George Legg
* Adam Liddle
* Adam Lockwood
* Angus MacDonald
* Jay Matete
* Carl McHugh
* Ramarni Medford-Smith
* Adam Mekki
* Stuart Moore
* Johnny Mullins
* Nam Tae-Hee
* Roberto Nditi
* Thierry Nevers
* Jack Nolan
* Hakeem Odoffin
* Matt Partridge
* Frankie Raymond
* Scott Rendell
* Myles Roberts
* Joel Rollinson
* James Rowe
* Steve Seddon
* Conor Shaughnessy
* Chris Smith
* Louie Soares
* Matty Stevens
* Pierce Sweeney
* Rhys Tyler
* Gozie Ugwu
* Terence Vancooten
* Radoslav Vasilev
* Bogdan Vaštšuk
* Connor Wickham
* Andy White
* ↑ Clayton was a 7th round pick for the Buffalo Bills during the 2024 NFL draft.

## Records and honours

Several Academy graduates hold club records. Peter Castle became the club's youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against Watford on 30 April 2003 for his first and only Reading appearance, aged 16 years and 49 days, whilst Gylfi Sigurðsson holds the record for the highest transfer fee received when he moved to Hoffenheim in August 2010. In May 2013 Alex McCarthy became the first Reading graduate to be selected in the England squad since the Academy era began in 1999. Additionally, three graduates have been named Player of the Season with Gylfi Sigurðsson, Alex Pearce and Jordan Obita winning in 2009–10, 2011–12 and 2013–14 respectively.

### The Football Combination

    Winners: 2003–04, 2008–09
    Runners-up: 2005–06

### Premier Reserve League

    Winners: 2006–07

### Under-21 Premier League Cup

    Winners: 2013–14

### Under-18 Professional Development League 1

    Runners-up: 2012–13

### European

    As of match played 21 January 2025
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| Premier League International Cup | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 25 | –6 |
| Total | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 24 | -6 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 2016–17 | Premier League International Cup | Group F | Everton | — | 1–2 | 4th |
| 2016–17 | Premier League International Cup | Group F | Athletic Bilbao | 2–3 | — | 4th |
| 2016–17 | Premier League International Cup | Group F | Hertha BSC | 0–2 | — | 4th |
| 2017–18 | Premier League International Cup | Group E | FC Porto | 0–2 | — | 4th |
| 2017–18 | Premier League International Cup | Group E | Arsenal | — | 0–0 | 4th |
| 2017–18 | Premier League International Cup | Group E | Bayern Munich | 0–1 | — | 4th |
| 2018–19 | Premier League International Cup | Group B | Leicester City | — | 2–0 | 1st |
| 2018–19 | Premier League International Cup | Group B | Sparta Prague | 2–2 | — | 1st |
| 2018–19 | Premier League International Cup | Group B | Feyenoord | 2–0 | — | 1st |
| 2018–19 | Premier League International Cup | Quarter-final | Manchester United | — | 3–1 | — |
| 2018–19 | Premier League International Cup | Semi-final | Bayern Munich | 1–3 | — | — |
| 2024–25 | Premier League International Cup | Group A | Ajax | 2–1 | — | 4th |
| 2024–25 | Premier League International Cup | Group A | AS Monaco | 1–4 | — | 4th |
| 2024–25 | Premier League International Cup | Group A | Dinamo Zagreb | 2–3 | — | 4th |
| 2024–25 | Premier League International Cup | Group A | Valencia | 1–1 | — | 4th |

#### Appearances

    As of match played 21 January 2025
| | Name | Years | Premier League International Cup | Total | Ratio |
| 1 | Josh Barrett | 2015–2020 | 11 (0) | 11 (0) | 0 |
| 2 | Ryan East | 2008–2019 | 8 (0) | 8 (0) | 0 |
| 3 | Danny Namaso | 2013–2017 | 7 (5) | 7 (5) | 0.71 |
| 4 | Omar Richards | 2013–2021 | 6 (0) | 6 (0) | 0 |
| 4 | Ramarni Medford-Smith | 2017–2020 | 6 (0) | 6 (0) | 0 |
| 4 | Tyler Frost | 2014–2020 | 6 (1) | 6 (1) | 0.17 |
| 7 | Tom Holmes | 2008–2024 | 5 (0) | 5 (0) | 0 |
| 7 | Ben House | 2016–2020 | 5 (2) | 5 (2) | 0.4 |
| 9 | Jake Sheppard | 2015–2018 | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Tom McIntyre | 2008–2024 | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Gabriel Osho | 2008–2020 | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Jordan Holsgrove | 2017–2019 | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Michael Olise | 2017–2021 | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Boyd Beacroft | 2021–Present | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Emmanuel Osho | 2024–Present | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Jack Senga | 2020–Present | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 9 | Tyler Sackey | 2024–Present | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 0.5 |
| 9 | Joseph Barough | 2023–Present | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Andrija Novakovich | 2014–2019 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Andy Rinomhota | 2015–2022 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Luke Southwood | 2015–2023 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | George Legg | 2013–2019 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Andre Burley | 2018–2020 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Teddy Howe | 2008–2020 | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Michael Stickland | 2021–Present | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 0.33 |
| 19 | Charlie Wellens | 2023–Present | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 19 | Jacob Hammond-Chambers-Borgnis | 2021–Present | 3 (0) | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Zak Jules | 2015–2017 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Danzell Gravenberch | 2016–2019 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Dominic Hyam | 2013–2017 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Aaron Kuhl | 2013–2017 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Axel Óskar Andrésson | 2014–2018 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Sam Smith | 2014–2021, 2013–2025 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Tennai Watson | 2015–2021 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Joel Rollinson | 2016–2019 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Jack Nolan | 2019–2020 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Jamal Balogun | 2016–2019 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Coniah Boyce-Clarke | 2020–Present | 4 (0) | 4 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Ethan Coleman | ??–2020 | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.5 |
| 28 | Tom Norcott | 2021–Present | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Louie Holzman | 2020–Present | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Kai Source | 2024–Present | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Sam Harrison | 2024–Present | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 28 | Jayden Wareham | 2023–Present | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.5 |
| 28 | Jeremiah Okine-Peters | 2021–Present | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 0.5 |
| 28 | Shay Spencer | 2024–Present | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Jonathan Bond | 2015–2018 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Jack Stacey | 2013–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Liam Kelly | 2013–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Tariqe Fosu | 2014–2017 | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 1 |
| 47 | Harry Cardwell | 2013–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Jake Cooper | 2014–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Niall Keown | 2013–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Sandro Wieser | 2016–2018 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Yakou Méïté | 2016–2013 | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 2 |
| 47 | Joseph Mendes | 2016–2018 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Harrison Bennett | 2014–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Terence Vancooten | 2016–2017 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Anssi Jaakkola | 2016–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Tiago Ilori | 2017–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Tyler Blackett | 2016–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Adrian Popa | 2017–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Pelle Clement | 2017–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Darren Sidoel | 2018–2019 | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Vito Mannone | 2017–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Akin Odimayo | 2019–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | David Edwards | 2017–2019 | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 1 |
| 47 | David Meyler | 2018–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Jón Daði Böðvarsson | 2017–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Cameron Green | 2016–2019 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Adam Liddle | 2018–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Oliver Pendlebury | 2019–2020 | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Harlee Dean | 2023–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Jeriel Dorsett | 2018–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Kelvin Abrefa | 2021–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Abraham Kanu | 2021–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Philip Duah | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Ashqar Ahmed | 2023–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Tivonge Rushesha | 2023–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Michael Craig | 2022–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Andre Garcia | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | T'Shay Saint-Louis | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Carter Bowdery | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Maddox McMillan | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Adrian Akande | 2022–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Basil Tuma | 2022–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Kiyan Coke-Miles-Smith | 2024–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 47 | Larry Omoregie | 2023–Present | 1 (0) | 1 (0) | 0 |

#### Goalscorers

    As of match played 21 January 2025
| | Name | Years | Premier League International Cup | Total | Ratio |
| 1 | Danny Namaso | 2012–2020 | 5 (7) | 5 (7) | 0.71 |
| 2 | Yakou Méïté | 2016–2023 | 2 (1) | 2 (1) | 2 |
| 2 | Ben House | 2016–2020 | 2 (5) | 2 (5) | 0.4 |
| 2 | Tyler Sackey | 2024–Present | 2 (4) | 2 (4) | 0.5 |
| 4 | Tariqe Fosu | 2014–2017 | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 1 |
| 4 | Ethan Coleman | ??–2020 | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0.5 |
| 4 | David Edwards | 2017–2019 | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 1 |
| 4 | Tyler Frost | 2014–2020 | 1 (6) | 1 (6) | 0.17 |
| 4 | Jeremiah Okine-Peters | 2024–Present | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0.5 |
| 4 | Michael Stickland | 2024–Present | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 0.33 |
| 4 | Jayden Wareham | 2023–Present | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 0.5 |
| 4 | Own goals | 2016–Present | 1 (15) | 1 (15) | 0.07 |
* 1 2 House was born in England, but qualified to represent Scotland, representing them at U21 in 2019.
* ↑ Sheppard was born in England, but qualified to represent Scotland, representing them at U21 in 2016.
* ↑ McIntyre was born in England, but qualified to represent Scotland, representing them at U21 in 2018.
* ↑ Osho was born in England, but went on to represent Nigeria in 2024 after leaving Reading.
* ↑ Olise was born in England, but qualified to represent France, representing them at various Youth and Senior level.
* ↑ Rinomhota was born in England, but went on to represent Zimbabwe in 2023 after leaving Reading.
* ↑ Southwood was born in England, representing them at U20 level before going on to represent Northern Ireland in 2021.
* ↑ Burley was born in England, but went on to represent Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2021 after leaving Reading.
* ↑ Boyce-Clarke was born in England, but qualified to represent Jamaica, representing them at various youth levels since 2010.
* 1 2 Fosu was born in England, representing them at U18 level before going on to represent Ghana in 2020.
* ↑ Méïté was born in France, but qualified to represent Ivory Coast, representing them at Youth and Senior level.
* ↑ Mendes was born in France, but went on to represent Guinea-Bissau in 2019 after leaving Reading.
* ↑ Vancooten was born in England, but went on to represent Zimbabwe in 2017 after leaving Reading.
* ↑ Ilori was born in England, but qualified to represent Portugal, representing them at various youth levels since 2010.
* ↑ Edwards was born in England, but qualified to represent Wales, representing them at U-21 and Senior level.
* ↑ Dorsett was born in England, representing them at U18 level before going on to represent Montserrat in 2023.
* ↑ Abrefa was born in Italy, but qualified to represent Ghana, representing them at U20 in 2022.
* ↑ Rushesha was born in Zimbabwe, representing Wales at U17 level before going on to represent Zimbabwe.
* ↑ Craig was born in England, but qualified to represent Scotland, representing them at U21 in 2022.
* ↑ Tuma was born in Uganda, representing them at U17 level before going on to represent Malta in 2024.