When it comes to Liverpool Football Club, the part that the majority of people care about the most is, of course, the first team. For those behind the scenes, however, there is a need to look at the bigger picture. Aside from anything else, the long-term hope is to be able to feed the first team with players out of the Academy, so as to avoid the necessity to go into the transfer market every time a new player is needed.
That is where the Liverpool Under-21s come in, being the last stage for players to demonstrate that they’re ready for first-team action before either being promoted or being sold.
Its Place in the Academy Structure
The Liverpool FC Academy is the name given to the youth setup at the football club. Players can join from the Under-6 age group onwards, whilst the Under-21s are the last age group before a decision has to be taken about their future. There are different coaches in charge of the Under-6s, Under-9s, Under-10 to Under-11s, Under-12 to Under-14s, as well as Under-15 to Under-16s. The Under-18s and Under-21s both have their own dedicated coaching teams, getting them ready for their place within the world of football, irrespective of whether that is at Liverpool FC or not.
@coachesvoice The Liverpool Under-21’s play a game of football-padel… 🏓⚽️ Watch the full training session via Liverpool’s YouTube channel. 📹 @Liverpool FC #LFC #FootballCoaching #FootballTraining #CoachesVoice ♬ original sound – Coaches’ Voice
The Academy has been one of the most productive of its kind in world football, with some of the best known players from the club’s past having emerged through the system. From Billy Liddell to Phil Thompson, via Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard, countless local players have made the journey to professional football from the Academy. The FA Youth Cup, which is a competition for players aged between 15 and 18, has been won by Liverpool several times over the years. The aim for players is to make it to the Under-21s, then be promoted into the first team at some point.
The Under-21s
The Liverpool Under-21s play in what is known as Premier League 2. This hasn’t always been the case, though, depending on the rules put in place by the Football Association over the years. Between 1896 and 1911, for example, it would play its games in the Lancashire Combination, when it was also known as the Liverpool Reserves. It played in the Central League from 1911 until 1999, which was when Liverpool Reserves were one of the founding members of the Premier Reserve League North. The side would also play in the Liverpool Senior Cup and Lancashire Senior Cup.
Liverpool FC confirmed the appointment of Rob Page as the new head coach of the club’s U21s group.
— ɴɪᴊɪɴ (@niijin.bsky.social) 26 June 2025 at 03:54
Arguably the most successful Reserve team manager was Roy Evans, who had been a Liverpool player but spent most of his time in the Reserves. When an injury ended his career in 1974, then first team manager Bob Paisley asked him to take over the Reserves. He did eventually become Liverpool manager in his own right when he replaced Graeme Souness in the 1990s. Nowadays, players are both scouted to join the Academy from a young age and bought in from other clubs, either for an agreed fee or else for a price decided at a later date by a tribunal who looks at the case of both clubs.
The Staff
It is fair to say that the staff that works at the Academy changes on a reasonably regular basis, so it isn’t exactly outrageous to suggest that the information here may not be up to date by the time you get around to reading it. That being said, it is helpful to get a sense of the kind of people that tend to work with the Academy and the Under-21s in particular, given the manner in which the players that are part of that team are the ones most likely to break through into the first team. The role of Academy Director is taken up by Alex Inglethorpe, whilst the Under-21s have the following people working with them:
- Manager: Rob Page
- Goalkeeping Coach: Mark Morris
- Player-Coach: Jay Spearing
- Head Physio: Paul Kelly
- Physiotherapist: Tony Jones
Rob Page was born in Wales on the third of September 1974 and joined Watford as a youngster, going on to play for the first team as well as Sheffield United, Cardiff City, Coventry City, Huddersfield Town and Chesterfield before handing up his boots in 2011. Three years later, he became the manager of Port Vale, staying there for two years before joining Northampton Town. In 2017, he was given the role of head coach for Wales’ Under-21s, becoming the Wales senior side’s manager in 2020. He remained in that role for four years, then in 2025, he was given the Liverpool Under-21s manager’s position.
.jpg){kind=link}