Draft:Professional Game Academies (PGA)
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The Professional Game Academy is a system of youth football run by the English Football Association, as a revised pathway for what were originally known and launched as the FA WSL Academies at the start of the 2018-19 season.[1]
When the revamped pathway, known as the Pro Game Academy (or PGA for short), was launched before the start of the 2023-24 season, 20 clubs were initially awarded licenses across two categories with the expectation that all 24 Barclay's Women's Super League and Women's Super League 2 teams would be required to deliver an Academy by the beginning of the 2025-26 season. Category 1 licenses would see two age groups catered for, whilst a Category 2 license would only see one age group catered for[2]. The two age groups that the PGA leagues cater for are the Under-21 and Under-16 age groups.[3]
Under-21 level
[edit]| Domestic cup(s) | FA Women's National League Cup FA Women's National League Plate |
|---|---|
| Current champions | Arsenal |
| Website | Official Website |
Under-21's League
[edit]Before the 2018-19 season, what became the Under-21 teams were known as the Women's reserve squads. This was the original development path, with the Reserve teams competing in what was then the Women's Premier Reserve League.
Under the reformed pathway, the Under-21 League competition was split into two divisions, with promotion and relegation between the two. These divisions are decided by two separated sections: PGA U21 League North, and PGA U21 League South. These mini-leagues see each team play every other team in their section to determine the league positions for Division 1 and Division 2, which remain whole-country leagues.[4]
Whilst the age limit of the Under-21 League is for players aged 21 and under, players coming back from injury or even maternity leave can be fielded to ensure they get minutes in before they make their full returns to their senior sides. Examples of this include Victoria Pelova and Amanda Ilestedt for Arsenal's PGA Under-21 side against Manchester United during the 2024-25 season, with Pelova returning from an ACL injury, and Ilestedt returning from maternity leave.[5]
From the 2024-25 season onwards, PGA teams were invited to join the Women's National League Plate competition[6], with the 2025-26 season seeing an invite for PGA teams to join the upper competition in the Women's National League, the League Cup competition.[7]
Middlesex FA, Surrey FA, AFA and London FA-based PGA teams also have the opportunity to play in the Capital Women's Senior Cup competition, allowing PGA players to gain more experience and more gametime.[8]
Liverpool-based PGA teams, not just those who are attached to WSL and WSL2 clubs, have the chance to compete in the Liverpool FA County Cup, Liverpool's equivalent to the Capital Women's Cup.[9]
Teams taking part in the 2025-26 competition:
Under-21 Cup and Plate
[edit]Much like the Women's National League Cup and Plate competitions, the Under-21 Competition sees all WSL and WSL2 attached teams play in the first round of the Cup with the winning teams continuing to the second round, whilst the losing teams will go on to compete in the Plate competition.
Under-16 level
[edit]Under-16 Cup and Plate
[edit]Unlike the Under-21s, the Under-16 age group do not have a league competition through the year. Instead, they play their own Cup and Plate competitions[3], as well as the Junior Premier League (JPL) run Champions Cup and Trophy competitions.[10]
In a direct copy of the Under-21's Cup and Plate competition, the first round of the PGA U-16 Cup sees all WSL and WSL2 attached teams play, with the winning teams continuing to the second round, whilst the losing teams will go on to compete in the Plate competition.
Previous Winners
[edit]Under 21's:
[edit]| Season | PGA League North | PGA League South | PGA Division 1 | PGA Division 2 | U21 Cup | U21 Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Manchester United | Arsenal | Manchester United | - | Bristol City | Leicester City |
| 2024-25 | Manchester United | Arsenal | Arsenal | Liverpool | Birmingham City | Aston Villa |
| 2025-26 |
Under 16's:
[edit]| Season | U16 Cup | U16 Plate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Durham | |
| 2024-25 | Chelsea | |
| 2025-26 |
References
[edit]- ^ "It's academic". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ The Football Association, (FA). "FA Professional Game Academy licenses awarded to twenty clubs as part of revamped player pathway". England Football Association. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ a b "PGA Academy". pga-academy.womensprofessionalgame.football. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ Future Lionesses. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ Stillman, Tim (2025-02-12). "Victoria Pelova features for Arsenal U21s". Arseblog News - the Arsenal news site. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ McCowen, Beth (2024-08-04). "WSL and Championship academy teams to compete in FAWNL Plate". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ FC, Sheffield United (2025-07-16). "PGA find out FA WNL Cup group". Sheffield United FC. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ Middlesex Football Association, FA. "Capital Womens Cup - Senior". Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ^ Association, The Football. "LCFA Womens Senior Cup". www.liverpoolfa.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
- ^ "PGA Knockout & Cup Fixtures | JPL England". Retrieved 2025-08-29.