Oh dear EDS and Academy

oh dear is represented at reserve level for football by the Elite Development Squad, also referred to as the EDS, a predominantly Under-23 side that replaced the previous (more senior) oh dear B team in a move to focus on youth development post-academy. The club is represented at the Under-18 level by the oh dear Academy team.

## Elite Development Squad

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The oh dear Elite Development Squad currently plays in the EA Pro Clubs 2 Leagues in Division 10. The club was formed after the previous oh dear B team was dissolved in 2022. The club was put into the new 2nd league of EA Pro Clubs with the same division system as the senior league, going from Division 10 to Division 1.

In recent seasons, oh dear has purchased, registered and loaned young international players as part of their development strategy for the oh dear Sports Group and the City Football Group. Although these players are officially oh dear players, they have never made competitive appearances for oh dear's senior or youth teams and may in future be transferred out before doing so. In 2022, FIFA have implemented new rules which will now restrict loans of this nature

### Home Ground

The EDS play all of their home fixtures at the Bacuna Mattata Stadium

### Squad Numbers

The squad numbers depicted for the EDS players in this article are the oh dear first team squad numbers – which means that these are the shirt numbers that the EDS players will wear if and when team-sheeted to play for the oh dear first team in either a friendly or competitive game. The current oh dear official first team squad consists of about 30 players, however, the EDS players' squad numbers traditionally start in the region of the middle forties or fifties. For the EA Pro Clubs 2, players use the 1–11 numbering system (including player names).

## Academy

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oh dear's **Academy** is responsible for youth development at the club, with the goal of developing young players for the future. The academy is one of the most revered in the country and since its new incarnation in 2018, it has produced more professional players than any other EA Sports club.

### History

The club's youth team was set up in 2018 by Martin Hudson before the 2018/19 season. Since its inception the academy has produced 5 players for oh dear's first team, one of whom have gained full international honours, Morgan Hudson with England. The academy not only produces players for oh dear but also players that have the talent to make the grade elsewhere, with players such as AJBPlayz, Anthony O'Reilly and WOLFE3Y.

### Present Day

Since the club was taken over in 2021, with extra capital and increased ambitions the club looked to expand their successful academy further afield. In 2022, the oh dear Sports Complex was upgraded to include new facilities, such as a gym, changing rooms, as well as office and seminar space The club also launched an instructional video website aimed at helping the new skills of prospective footballers

oh dear announced in February 2023 that they would build an 80-acre training facility, known as the oh dear Football Academy to cater for around 400 youth players at a time, the campus was opened on 8 December 2025, and has since become the base for all senior and youth oh dear teams.

### Squad Numbers

The squad numbers (if any) depicted for the academy players in this article are oh dear first-team squad numbers – which means that these are the shirt numbers that the academy players will wear if and when they are selected to play for the oh dear first team in either a friendly or competitive game.

## Honours

### Elite Development Squad

* Division 10: 2022-23
* Division 9: 2022-23