Doncaster Rovers Academy is the youth team run by Doncaster Rovers to encourage and develop young footballers in South Yorkshire.
The youth team runs 9 teams and has over 100 players from the ages of 8 to 17. Stuart Swift is the current academy manager and joined the club in March 2023. The academy team plays in the Football League Youth Alliance, North East Conference and is only for players below the age of 18. Home games are played at the club's training ground at Cantley Park.
The role of the Doncaster Rovers Academy is to develop players and their abilities to their full potential for the club's first team. Rovers youth team were runners-up of the FA Youth Cup in 1988 and the winners of the Youth Alliance Cup in 2012. The youth system currently has Category 3 status but with future plans to achieve Category 2 status Academy in the Elite Player Performance Plan which would make Doncaster one of the few teams outside the Premier League with Category 2 status.
Current squad
Players listed in bold have signed a professional deal with Doncaster Rovers but are still eligible to play for the U18's.
Staff RoleNameAcademy Manager Stuart Swift Professional Development Lead Paul GreenHead of Coaching Ebun ThomasHead of Player Development Josh LawFoundation Lead Coach - 7 -12 Dillon SandifordHead of Goalkeeping Steve Hernandez
Age Groups There are currently 9 squads at the Academy.
Under 18 Under 16 Under 15 Under 14 Under 13 Under 12 Under 11 Under 10 Under 9
Notable Academy Graduates The following are players from Doncaster's academy team past or present who have gone on to play in the top 2 tiers of the Football League, or the top tier in another country with prominent national leagues. Kevin Bird Rufus Brevett Stan Brookes Brian Deane Mike Elwiss Ron Flowers Paul Green Darius Henderson James Husband Alick Jeffrey Brian Makepeace Mark Rankine Paul Raven Glynn Snodin Ian Snodin Neil Woods
References