FM 23's Best Youth Academy Teams

Are you the kind of person who loves putting in the work with a player and watching them develop step by step? Or maybe you want to take the hard road and win with players from your own academy. Whatever your reason, just like in real life, youth development is one of the most important concepts in Football Manager.

So, which teams give you a good youth academy to inherit in FM23? What features determine a team's academy quality in Football Manager games? Which teams have the best youth academies in FM 23? Among FM 2023's Turkish teams and the big four, which club has the most successful academy? We researched the answers to all of these questions for you.

For FM 24's Best Teams;

• FM 24's Best Teams and Team Suggestions

Features That Determine Academy Quality in FM 23

There are four main factors that determine a team's academy quality in FM 23. Teams that stand out in all four of these main factors generally have a very high-quality pool of young players, while it's also possible to find players with world-class potential at teams that excel in just one or a few of the main factors.

Training Facilities

Having high-quality facilities where your first team trains will help your young players, once they reach a certain age and skill level, keep developing when they move up to the first team. You can improve the quality of your training facilities through discussions with the board. However, note that facility upgrades will require an investment budget from the club and take 4-6 months to complete.

Youth Facilities

Youth facilities, where your youth team players prepare for matches in leagues like the U-21s and U-18s and carry out their individual training and development programs, help talented players reach their potential faster and more effectively. Just like training facilities, youth facilities are also among the features you can improve through discussions with the board.

Junior Coaching

Youth coaches, who run training on the academy side, monitor your players, and report on their development, play a role at least as important as the facilities. When the club puts significant resources into junior coaching, you'll see faster results in your young players' development.

Youth Recruitment Network

This feature, which may appear in-game under terms like "Youth Recruitment Network" or "Youth Network," determines the quality of the young talents who will join your team each year. As you improve your youth recruitment network's quality through discussions with the board, you'll notice an increase in the maximum potential ability of the players arriving at your academy.

Clubs With the Best Academies in FM 23

Club	Facilities	Recruitment Network	Junior Coaching
Standard Liege	19	17	17
Liverpool	20	17	17
Feyenoord	17	17	17
PSV Eindhoven	18	17	17
Austria Vienna	17	18	18
Chelsea	20	18	19
Paris Saint-Germain	18	18	17
Stade Rennais	17	18	17
AZ Alkmaar	18	18	17
Villarreal	17	18	17
Anderlecht	17	19	18
Genk	19	19	18
Manchester United	18	19	18
Ajax	17	19	19
Atalanta	17	19	17
Sporting Portugal	19	19	19
Barcelona	19	19	20
Real Madrid	18	19	18
RB Salzburg	19	20	18
Manchester City	20	20	19
Benfica	20	20	17
FC Basel	17	20	18
FC Liefering	19	20	19

Best Turkish Clubs and the Big Four for Youth Academies in FM 23

Altınordu

Even though Altınordu's training facilities and junior coaching are world class, it falls behind on youth recruitment network. Still, that doesn't stop Altınordu from having the best academy among Turkish clubs.

Bursaspor

Bursaspor sits on par with Altınordu in terms of training facilities but falls a bit further behind in junior coaching. Its very low-level youth recruitment network is also among the details limiting new talents' maximum potential. Still, that's an issue anyone starting a career save with the club can fix by moving budget into the recruitment network.

Antalyaspor

Antalyaspor, which trails a bit behind Altınordu and Bursaspor on facilities, offers average junior coaching. As with every Turkish team, youth recruitment network is also among the problems Antalyaspor faces.

Ankaraspor

Ankaraspor, the surprise team on our list, is one of the clubs that stands out for its facilities. With better coaches and investment in the youth recruitment network, it could make its way into the top three.

Kasımpaşa

Despite having world-class facilities, Kasımpaşa falls seriously behind on youth recruitment network and junior coaching, landing it in fifth place on the list.

Among the clubs we didn't include on the list that still have above-Turkish-average academy resources are Gençlerbirliği, İstanbul Başakşehir, and Fenerbahçe. Trabzonspor, meanwhile, is among Türkiye's best in terms of junior coaching but needs investment in its youth facilities. Among the big four, Beşiktaş manages to stay above average only through the training facilities it provides to the first team, while Galatasaray falls below average across every criterion needed for a good academy.