Ipswich Town Football Club currently runs a Category Two Academy, with a five-year plan to improve to Category One, which is run by Bryan Klug.[1] The youth teams play their home games at the Ipswich Town Training Centre at Playford Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, while some home games are played at Portman Road.[2]
| Full name | Ipswich Town Football Club Under-21s and Academy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tractor Boys | |||
| Ground | Playford Road Portman Road | |||
| Capacity | 1,000 (Playford Road) 29,673 (Portman Road) | |||
| Owner | Gamechanger 20 Ltd. | |||
| Chairman | Mike O'Leary | |||
| Manager | John McGreal (U21s) Olly Lee (U18s) | |||
| League | Professional Development League 2 (South Division) | |||
Some of Ipswich's greatest ever players have come through the club's youth system since the 1960s, including Roger Osborne, Mick Mills, Kevin Beattie, Russell Osman, George Burley, John Wark, Terry Butcher and Jason Dozzell.[3] The academy was also very successful during the 1990s, producing a number of first-team players including Richard Wright, Titus Bramble, James Scowcroft and Kieron Dyer.[4] In more recent years, the academy has produced more young players going onto the main team including Connor Wickham, Jordan Rhodes, Luke Woolfenden, Flynn Downes and Andre Dozzell, who like his father Jason Dozzell, scored on his debut at the age of 16.[5][6]
Under-21s squad
- As of 1 July 2024[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | MF |  ENG | Osman Foyo |
| — | MF | ENG | Ben Haddoch |
| — | MF | ENG | Archie Kieran |
| — | MF | ENG | Paul Moodie |
| — | MF | ENG | Abube Onuchukwu |
| — | MF |  WAL | Mathaeus Roberts |
| — | FW |  IRL | Leon Ayinde |
| — | FW | ENG | Ashley Boatswain |
| — | FW | ENG | Gerrard Buabo |
| — | FW | IRL | Jesse Nwabueze |
| — | FW | ENG | Nico Valentine |
| — | FW | ENG | Matt Ward |
Under-18s squad
- As of 6 July 2024[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | MF | ENG | George Iorpenda |
| — | MF | ENG | Emmanuel Okunowo |
| — | MF | ENG | Tom Taylor |
| — | MF | ENG | Luke Towler |
| — | MF | ENG | Steven Turner |
| — | FW | IRL | Afikunoluwa Adebayo |
| — | FW | ENG | Ashton Boswell |
| — | FW | ENG | Oli Davis |
| — | FW | ENG | James Mauge |
| — | FW |  NIR | Rio Oudnie-Morgan |
| — | FW | ENG | Chuks Uzor-Greey |
Academy key staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head of Coaching & Player Development | Bryan Klug |
| Under-21 Head Coach | John McGreal |
| Under-18 Head Coach | Olly Lee |
| Academy Manager |  Vacant |
| Head of Academy Goalkeeping | Carl Pentney |
| Head of Foundation Phase | Simon Tricker |
| Head of Academy Recruitment | Alex Kaufman |
| Academy Loans Manager | Chris Casement |
| Head of Academy Performance Analysis | Adam Cuthbert |
| Head of Academy Sports Medicine | Jack Wilce |
| Head of Academy Sports Science | Nathan Griffith |
| Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach | Vacant |
Notable academy players
The following is a list of players who have played in the Ipswich Town youth system and gone on to make 3 or more senior appearances at Championship level or above or the top league of that country. Players who are currently playing for the club are highlighted in bold. Players who never made a senior appearance for the club are in italics.
Colin Harper- Mick Mills
- Derek Jefferson
- Geoff Hammond
- Laurie Sivell
- Brian Talbot
- Kevin Beattie
- Eric Gates
- Robin Turner
George Burley- Tommy Parkin
- John Wark
- Les Tibbott
- Russell Osman
- Alan Brazil
- Terry Butcher
- Gary Stevens
- Kevin Steggles
- Steve McCall
Mich d'Avray
Colin Clarke- Ian Cranson
- Jason Dozzell
Frank Yallop- Mark Brennan
- Jon Hallworth
- Tony Humes
- Dalian Atkinson
- Craig Forrest
- Mick Stockwell
- Chris Kiwomya
- David Gregory
- Richard Hall
- Gavin Johnson
Neil Gregory- Adam Tanner
- Tony Vaughan
- Matthew Upson
- Richard Wright
- James Scowcroft
- Richard Naylor
- Keiron Dyer
- Wayne Brown
- Titus Bramble
- Scott Loach
- Arran Lee-Barrett
- Darren Bent
- Darren Ambrose
- Matt Bloomfield
- Matt Richards
- Ian Westlake
- Dean Bowditch
Richard Keogh
Lewis Price- Scott Barron
- Chris Whelpdale
- Josh Simpson
- Owen Garvan
- Shane Supple
- Danny Haynes
- Billy Clarke
- Chris Casement
- Liam Trotter
- Ed Upson
- Ryan Bennett
- Morgan Fox
- Jordan Rhodes
- Stuart O'Keefe
Tommy Smith- Nick Pope
- Connor Wickham
- Jack Ainsley
Macauley Bonne- Tom Eastman
- Luke Hyam
- Ronan Murray
- Josh Carson
- Caolan Lavery
Cody Cropper- Jack Marriott
- Teddy Bishop
- Matt Clarke
- Harry Clarke
- Josh Emmanuel
- Myles Kenlock
- Andre Dozzell
- Flynn Downes
- Tristan Nydam
- Luke Woolfenden
Ben Folami- Jack Lankester
Idris El Mizouni- Liam Gibbs
- Tyreece Simpson
- Tawanda Chirewa
- Corrie Ndaba
Academy Player of the Year
| Dale Roberts Academy Player of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Name | Ref |
| 2001–02 | Will Snowdon | [9] |
| 2002–03 | Darren Bent | [10] |
| 2003–04 | Dean Bowditch | [11] |
| 2004–05 | Billy Clarke | [12] |
| 2005–06 | Chris Casement | [13] |
| 2006–07 |  Tommy Smith | [14] |
| 2007–08 |  Jordan Rhodes | [15] |
| 2008–09 | Connor Wickham | [16] |
| 2009–10 | Tom Eastman | [17] |
| 2010–11 | Josh Carson | [18] |
| 2011–12 |  Gunnar Thorsteinsson | [19] |
| 2012–13 | Jack Marriott | [20] |
| 2013–14 | Kyle Hammond | [21] |
| 2014–15 | Teddy Bishop | [22] |
| 2015–16 | Andre Dozzell | [23] |
| 2016–17 | Tristan Nydam | [24] |
| 2017–18 | Flynn Downes | [25] |
| 2018–19 | Jack Lankester | [26] |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded[nb 1] | [27] |
| 2020–21 | Not awarded | |
| 2021–22 | Cameron Humphreys | [28] |
| 2022–23 | Edwin Agbaje | [29] |
| 2023–24 | Fin Barbrook | [30] |
Youth honours
Reserves/Under-21s
League
- Champions: 1972–73, 1975–76, 2006–07 (East Division), 2007–08 (East Division)
- FA Premier Reserve League South Division
- Champions: 2001–02
- Professional Development League South Division
- Champions: 2018–19, 2021–22
Academy
League
- Champions: 2000–01
Cups
- Professional Development League Cup
- Winners: 2021–22[31]
- Winners: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 2006–07, 2009–10