Preston North End U21

Preston North End's Under-21 side plays for development, not points.

The one piece of silverware the age group has actually lifted came in 2021/22, when it won the EFL Youth Alliance Cup.

Ben Davies is the clearest case of the pipeline doing its job. He joined the academy at eleven, went on to captain the Under-21s, and made more than 130 appearances for the first team before Liverpool signed him; a spell at Rangers followed, and in 2026 he moved on to Bolton Wanderers. Bailey Wright took a similar path, through Leeds United and Aston Villa to Lion City Sailors. The line stretches back much further than either of them — Tom Finney came through Preston's junior sides in the 1940s and never left the club again, playing out his entire career in its first team.

Whichever route a player takes out, he spends his development years at Deepdale, the ground Preston North End have played on since 1875 and among the oldest football grounds anywhere still in continuous use. It holds 23,404, in a city that has sent generations of academy players out through its gates.