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Blackburn Rovers F.C. Under-23s and Academy

Field	Value
current	2016–17 Professional Development League (Category 1)
clubname	Blackburn Rovers Academy and Under-21s
fullname	Blackburn Rovers Academy and Under-21s
nickname	Rovers, Blue and Whites, The Riversiders
founded
ground	County Ground (Leyland), Leyland, Lancashire
capacity	~2,300
manager	Grégory Vignal
mgrtitle	U21 Lead Coach
chairman	Paul Gray
chrtitle	Head of Academy
league	Premier League 2
U18 Premier League
season	2016–17 Professional Development League (Category 1)
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socks1	0000FF
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U18 Premier League

Under-21s team

Blackburn Rovers Under-21s play in the Premier League 2 Division 1.

Damien Johnson is the former manager the Under-21. His predecessor, Eric Kinder left the role to take over as the club's Head of Academy. Kinder was appointed Gary Bowyer's replacement following his appointment as first team manager following two successful caretaker spells. However, the new current head of Academy at Blackburn Rovers is Stuart Jones. The Under 21s play their home games at The Lancashire FA County Ground at Leyland, Preston.

The team now is mainly made up of players acquired from local academies like Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton. Several Under 21's players have recently made the step up into John Eustace's first team, including Lewis Travis, John Buckley, Joe Rankin-Costello and Hayden Carter.

The Academy

Blackburn Rovers Academy holds Category One status, the highest possible. The club maintained this status in a full audit which took place during the 2017/18 season. The Academy trains at Brockhall training village, the same location as the first team and the Under 21s. It also provides a stepping stone for youngsters to progress to the highest levels of football at Blackburn Rovers producing high quality players in the past. Former players such as Damien Duff, Phil Jones, Damien Johnson, James Beattie, Neil Danns, Jonathan Walters, and Anthony Pilkington were all nurtured in The Academy. Current professional football players also include Jason Lowe, Martin Olsson, Grant Hanley, Josh Morris, Adam Henley, Connor Mahoney, Ryan Nyambe, David Raya and Jack O'Connell have graduated from the clubs academy. Recent graduates such as Lewis Travis, Joe Rankin-Costello, Scott Wharton, Hayden Carter and John Buckley among others, play for Blackburn Rovers Championship team currently.

History & Facilities

In January 1991, British industrialist and businessman Jack Walker a lifelong fan of Blackburn Rovers completed the takeover of the club. In the following years, the Brockhall Village Academy, was constructed at a cost of approximately £4.75 million. The centre included state of the art facilities on a par with top training facilities elsewhere in Europe. It includes 6 full-size pitches, indoor training facilities, an indoor running track, outdoor running "hill", a swimming pool, goalkeeper training facilities as well as accommodation for the youth players.

Blackburn Rovers India Academy

On 19 November 2010, Pune based chicken meat processing, and pharmaceutical company, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited., completed the takeover of Blackburn Rovers, under the name Venky's London Limited.

One of the companies early ambitions was to open an Academy back in their home nation of India. Managing director, told The Indian Express newspaper the club was planning a centre of excellence near Pune which is 100 km (60 miles) from Mumbai.

"We are getting an academy and a stadium in Pune," Venky's B. Balaji Rao was quoted as saying. "The site is near the Mumbai-Pune highway and will be ready in a year-and-a-half or two years." Rao said the academy, on the outskirts of the city, will be run exactly like a Rovers' training centre at Brockhall in northwest England, taking players from the age of 11 and 12. As of 2016 however no academy or stadium has been constructed.

Squads

Development Squad

Out on Loan

Academy (Under-18s)

:Updated 1 July 2025.

Noted graduates

Blackburn Rovers' youth system has been successful over the years, many players who have come through it have gone on to feature in the first-team and make an impact or progress in the 1st teams of other clubs in the future.

Current/Former Rovers first teamers

ENG James Beattie
ENG Marlon Broomes
ENG John Buckley
ENG Ben Burgess
ENG Hayden Carter
ENG Neil Danns
ENG Matt Derbyshire
IRL Jonathan Douglas
IRL Damien Duff
ENG David Dunn
IRL Rory Finneran
SCO Paul Gallagher
ENG Jake Garrett
SCO Grant Hanley
WAL Adam Henley
ENG Keith Hill
CAN Junior Hoilett
ENG Damien Johnson
USA Jemal Johnson
ENG Phil Jones
ENG Jake Kean
IRE Darragh Lenihan
ENG Harry Leonard
ENG Jason Lowe
SCO Jay McEveley
ENG Tyler Magloire
ENG Connor Mahoney
ENG Josh Morris
NAM Ryan Nyambe
SWE Martin Olsson
IRE John O'Sullivan
GER Sergio Peter
ENG Ashley Phillips
ENG Joe Rankin-Costello
ESP David Raya
ENG Martin Taylor
WAL James Thomas
ENG Willem Tomlinson
ENG Lewis Travis
IRL Keith Treacy
ENG Adam Wharton
ENG Scott Wharton
ENG Jason Wilcox

Other notable academy graduates

ENG Michael Aspin
ENG Jason Banton
ENG Keith Barker
FRA Flavien Enzo Boyomo
NIR Alex Bruce
ENG Joel Byrom
ENG James Connolly
ENG Shaun Corcoran
ENG Jamie Clarke
ENG Neil Danns
ITA Raffaele De Vita
ENG Ciaran Donnelly
IRL Aaron Doran
ENG Jack Doyle
ENG Darren Dunning
ENG Ryan Edwards
ENG Frank Fielding
ENG Andy Fisher
ENG Joe Garner
ENG Joe Grayson
IRL Gavin Gunning
NIR Gary Hamilton
ENG Lewis Hardcastle
ENG Andy Haworth
ENG Callum Hendry
ENG Tom Hitchcock
SCO Bryan Hodge
IRL Alan Judge
ENG Sam Lavelle
AUS Jamie Maclaren
ENG Lewis Mansell
ENG Alex Marrow
ENG Marcus Marshall
ENG Eddie Nolan
ENG John Nutter
ENG Jack O'Connell
IRE Anthony O'Connor
IRL Josh O'Keefe
NGR Osayamen Osawe
CAN Ben Paton
ENG Matty Pearson
GER Kevin Pezzoni
ENG Dan Pike
IRL Anthony Pilkington
ENG Matthew Platt
ENG Marc Richards
ENG Leam Richardson
ENG Ryan Robinson
ENG Gareth Stewart
IRL Gary Tallon
ENG Andy Taylor
ENG Michael Taylor
ENG Lewis Thompson
ENG Peter Thorne
ENG Matthew Urwin
IRL Jonathan Walters
ENG Jerome Watt
WAL Anthony Williams
WAL Ben Williams
ENG Dean Winnard
ENG Callum Wright
ENG Chanka Zimba

References

(2 August 2009). "Nicknames". The-Football-Club.com.
(19 November 2010). "Rovers Takeover Complete - Financial Document". Blackburn Rovers.
(21 November 2010). "Venky's spent £23m to buy Blackburn". Deccan Chronicle.
(8 July 2011). "Blackburn to set up Indian academy". Football Association.
"Blackburn Rovers FC".

Info: Wikipedia Source

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