In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the primary team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to improve their skills, as well as members of the first team recovering from injury. In some countries, reserve or development teams compete in entirely separate competitions from first teams, while some countries allow reserve teams or farm teams to compete in the same league system as their club's first team, although usually in separate divisions.
44-907: Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol Promesas is the reserve team of Real Valladolid , a Spanish football club based in Valladolid , in the autonomous community of Castile and León . Founded in 1942, currently plays in Segunda Federación – Group 1, holding home games at the Ciudad Deportiva del Real Valladolid , which seats 1,500 spectators. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Last updated: October 2022 Source: Real Valladolid Reserve team Reserve teams usually consist of
88-463: A combination of emerging youth players and first-team squad players. These teams are distinct from a club's youth team , which usually consists of players under a certain age and plays in an age-specific league. In England, Argentina and the United States the term reserve is commonly used to describe these teams. In Germany and Austria the terms Amateure or II is used, while B team is used in
132-525: A league it cannot enter, that promotion is instead awarded to the best following team. Scotland has two reserve leagues under the umbrella of the SPFL Reserve League , where 27 of the senior clubs competed in its first year, only for several (including Celtic and Rangers ) withdrew to pursue their own programme of fixtures. The predecessor was the SPFL Development League until 2018. It
176-453: A reserve team finishes first in his National 3 group but the club doesn't have a youth center, the promotion is instead awarded to the second. Some clubs even have C or D-sides that play at regional or district levels . In Germany, Hertha BSC II , the reserve team of Hertha Berlin , reached the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal final after their first team were eliminated in the Round of 16. They lost
220-453: A team doesn't have a youth center. Reserve teams have not been allowed to play the Coupe de France to serve the non-reserve team's interests. However, if the first team plays or get relegated in the fourth-tiered National 2 , the reserve team is restricted to a fifth-tiered level . If a reserve team finishes first in his National 2 group, the promotion is awarded to the second. Additionally, if
264-426: Is officially designated as a third-tier league, and it includes a small number of independent teams not affiliated with an MLS team. Most reserve teams play in the same stadiums or the training stadium for their parent team, but several have been established in alternative or nearby markets. Prior to the establishment of MLS Next Pro, most MLS reserve teams participated in the second-tier USL Pro league (now known as
308-654: The Copa del Rey final and qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup . During their cup run, they beat four Primera División teams including Hércules CF , Athletic Bilbao , Real Sociedad and Sporting de Gijón . The latter two eventually finished second and third in the Primera División. In the final they played Real Madrid but lost 6–1. However, because Real also won La Liga , Castilla CF qualified for European Cup Winners' Cup. Despite beating West Ham United 3–1 in
352-688: The French football league system behind Ligue 1 , Ligue 2 , Championnat National , and the Championnat National 2 . Usually contested by 154 clubs, the Championnat National 3 operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National 2 and the regional leagues of the Division d'Honneur , the sixth division of French football . Seasons run from August to May, with teams in eleven groups playing 26 games each totalling 2002 games in
396-508: The Méditerranee-Corse group, which is directly managed by the FFF. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others in their respective group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 26 games. Teams are ranked by total points. Ties between clubs with equal points are resolved by: a) points gained in games between
440-537: The Scottish football league system , but as of 2020 these have been rejected. The South-Korean R League serves as a dedicated competition for reserve teams and has been intermittently active since 1990, with several interruptions and format changes throughout its history. In its current form, the league has been played since 2016. Reserve teams in Spain play in the same league pyramid as their parent club but may not play in
484-692: The Spanish football league system , the Czech Republic , Slovakia , and Portugal . In Norway , these teams are distinguished by a 2 . In the Netherlands , the adjective Jong (young) is commonly used. In England reserve teams of professional clubs play in completely separate leagues and competitions such as the Professional Development League or the Central League , although further down
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#1732909072504528-412: The U.S. Soccer Federation and ultimately resulted in a compromise where only eight MLS first teams would participate while the rest fielded their reserve teams. Championnat National 3 The Championnat National 3 , commonly referred to as simply National 3 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur 2 , is a football league competition. The league serves as the fifth division of
572-471: The USL Championship ) from 2014 to 2022. The league is operated by United Soccer League , a separate organization from MLS, and included independent teams that signed affiliation pacts with MLS teams. A few other MLS teams fielded their reserve teams in the third-tier USL League One , also operated by USL, and some MLS teams never fielded a reserve side in either USL league. Prior to the arrangement with
616-501: The pyramid , reserve clubs feature in the same system as their parent clubs and can be promoted through the system. They cannot usually play in the same division as their parent team. However, in other countries, reserve teams play in the same football league as their senior team and have competed in the domestic cup competitions. In Spain this has seen the reserve team of CD Málaga change identity and play in La Liga while Castilla CF ,
660-565: The regional location of the club. The league became open to reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France and both were eligible for promotion to the Championnat de France Amateur. In 2017 the FFF reorganised amateur football along the lines of the 2016 reorganisation of the Regions of France , creating Championnat National 2 and Championnat National 3 to replace CFA and CFA2. For National 2 this
704-545: The J. League. Most J. League reserve teams these days are in the corresponding regional league. The most successful was JEF United Ichihara Chiba Reserves , who competed in the then national third division, the Japan Football League . (Furukawa Electric Chiba still exists but is no longer affiliated with the JEF club.) In Norway, reserve football teams are permitted to participate at all levels of league football except for
748-518: The USL, MLS ran its own reserve league, the MLS Reserve League , from 2005 to 2014. Since 2016, the U.S. Open Cup has only permitted one team to participate per organization, thus excluding reserve teams if its parent team is participating. MLS attempted to exclusively field its reserve teams in place of its first teams in the 2024 edition to relieve fixture congestion. This proposal was rejected by
792-526: The final 1–0 to Bayer Leverkusen . In the German football league system , however, reserve teams are not allowed to be promoted above the 3. Liga and since 2008–09 have not been allowed to play in the cup competition to serve the non-reserve team's interests. In the 2003–04 season, Bayern Munich 's reserve team won the Regionalliga Süd , a semi-professional league then in the third tier of German football (now
836-614: The following season. Two consecutive seasons, 2019–20 and 2020–21 , were not completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France . Standings of the 2019–20 season were finalised based on points per game, whilst the 2020–21 season was declared void. As part of the restructuring of the French football league system by the French Football Federation between 2022 and 2026, the league was gradually restructured over three seasons from
880-628: The fourth), finishing nine points clear of the second-placed FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt . Due to the rule which prohibits one club from having two teams in fully professional leagues, the third-placed 1. FC Saarbrücken was promoted to the Second Bundesliga instead. In 2018, the Italian Football Federation allowed the possibility for Serie A teams to register a reserve Under-23 team in the third-tier Serie C league, with only Juventus taking that opportunity. In 2023, Juventus Next Gen
924-476: The group who are eligible. At least the bottom three teams in each group are relegated to the Regional league's top division. In the case of groups which start a season with more than 14 teams, extra relegation places will ensure the league conforms to 14 teams for the following season. Extra relegation places will also be added depending on which regional groups the teams relegated from Championnat National 2 will enter
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#1732909072504968-544: The main club and promoted to professional ranks starting again from regional competitions. As it was mentioned above, farm teams in Ukraine are not necessary denoted with 2 (or 3 ), but could be a separate club that have an agreement with another club. Among examples there are FC Karlivka that used to be called FC Poltava-2 (the second team of FC Poltava ), FC Kalush was known as LUKOR Kalush and Prykarpattia Kalush (the second team of FC Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk ), FC Krasyliv
1012-619: The opening game at the Bernabéu , they lost the return 5–1 and went out in the first round. Málaga CF was originally formed in 1948 as Atlético Malagueño , the reserve team of CD Málaga . In 1992 CD Málaga was disbanded and two years later Atlético Malagueño were relaunched as Málaga CF. They were eventually promoted to the Primera División in 1999. There was a Reserve League in the Thai Premier League from 2016 onwards. In Ukraine, there are two types of reserve teams, one doubles and
1056-545: The original club would be changed into a new better club. On rare occasions in the professional league competitions were allowed to compete some clubs' academies ( Sports school of Olympic Reserve (SSOR) Metalurh , FC Dnipro-75 Dnipropetrovsk , others). Until 1999 second teams and third teams were allowed to compete in the Ukrainian Cup . Since 1999–2000 in Ukraine started to talk about reviving some kind of separate competition for such teams or youth competitions. In 2004 there
1100-557: The other dvushky ( dviyky, triyky ) or second teams . The second teams compete in regular league competitions usually in the Ukrainian Second League or lower, some better have competed in the Ukrainian First League (such as FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv ). Also some smaller clubs voluntarily would join bigger club as its farm (Ternopil-Nyva-2, Poltava-2 Karlivka, others), while other would be forced to be revived anew as
1144-415: The pre-2023 structure of 168 teams (12 groups of 14) to 154 teams (11 groups of 14) in 2023–24. Future seasons will see 140 teams (10 groups of 14) in 2024–25 and 112 teams (8 groups of 14) in 2025–26. This change in structure moved the competition away from groups that directly related to the regional leagues that feed Championnat National 3, and also brought the competition back under the direct control of
1188-729: The reserve team of Real Madrid , reached the Copa del Rey final, qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup and won the Segunda División . Since 2015, the Bulgarian Football Union allowed Bulgarian teams to have reserve sides in Bulgarian football league system , obliged to play one level below their main side and also can not compete in the Bulgarian Cup . On 26 May 2023, CSKA 1948 II secured first place in Second League ,
1232-489: The reserve teams of Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao respectively, finished as winners and runners-up of the Segunda División. Castilla, Bilbao Athletic and Atlético Madrid B finished third in 1987–88 , 1989–90 and 1998–99 respectively. In normal circumstances, these teams would have all been promoted except for the fact that their senior team was already in the Primera División. In 1980 Castilla CF also reached
1276-414: The restructured 5th level again became Championnat National 3. Some clubs that participate in the league are semi-professional . The matches in the league attract on average between 200 and 400 spectators per match. The amateur championship of France was created in 1993 under the name National 3, replacing the former Division 4 . The league's debut coincided with the creation of the Championnat National ,
1320-529: The same city as their senior team and should not be confused with clubs from sister companies within a keiretsu or otherwise, which were separate clubs competing for the same championships. An example is Toyota Automated Loom Works , founding member of the JSL in 1965, later relegated and now competing in the Aichi Prefecture league, and Toyota Motors , now known as Nagoya Grampus , founding member and mainstay of
1364-447: The same division with their primary team (senior team). On several occasions, the second team of Dynamo Kyiv ( Dynamo-2 Kyiv ) won the Ukrainian First League , but was not allowed to be promoted to premiers where the primary team of Dynamo Kyiv competes due to the rule. As any rules there are some exceptions, the second team of FC Nyva Ternopil ( FC Ternopil ) were allowed promotion to the same division after it lost its affiliation with
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1408-461: The same division. Since 1990 reserve teams are restricted to play in Copa del Rey . In 1951–52 CD Mestalla , the reserve team of Valencia CF , won the Segunda División promotion play-off but were denied promotion because their senior team was already in the Primera División . The following season CD España Industrial , the reserve team of FC Barcelona , also finished as runners-up in
1452-532: The same play-off but were similarly denied. However, after winning another promotion play-off in 1956, España Industrial separated from FC Barcelona and were renamed CD Condal . The club were now able to be promoted to the Primera División. However, they survived only one season and were relegated in 1957. In 1968 the club rejoined the FC Barcelona family as the reserve team and eventually evolved into FC Barcelona B . In 1983–84 Castilla CF and Bilbao Athletic ,
1496-426: The season. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January. The competition was founded in 1993 as National 3 and lasted for five years before being converted to Championnat de France Amateur 2 in 1998. In 2017 the FFF reorganised amateur football and
1540-456: The second level of Bulgarian football, becoming the first reserve team to become a champion of the league. Clubs are also allowed have third teams in the league system. In France, the reserve teams of professional clubs playing in Ligue 1 , Ligue 2 or National is restricted to play in fourth-tier Championnat National 2 if the club has a youth center or in fifth-tier Championnat National 3 if
1584-484: The third division of French football, which is commonly known as National. For the first three years of the competition, an amateur champion was crowned in France regardless of whether the club was amateur or a reserve team. In 1998 the competition was renamed Championnat de France Amateur 2 as part of a restructuring of Amateur football. In this guise, the competition saw 112 clubs participate, split into eight parallel groups of 14 with their group affiliation being based on
1628-400: The two (or more) clubs, b) goal difference in games between the two (or more) clubs, c) overall goal difference, d) goals scored, e) best disciplinary record, f) drawing of lots. At the end of each season, the winner of each group is promoted to Championnat National 2. If a group winner is prevented from being promoted, or elects not to be promoted, they are replaced by the next best team in
1672-408: The two highest divisions, making the 2. divisjon the highest league they can enter. However, if the first team plays in the second-tiered 1. divisjon , the reserve team is restricted to a fourth-tier league , maintaining a league difference of two. Reserve teams bear the same name as their respective first teams with a "2" attached as a suffix. If a reserve team ends the season in a promotion spot to
1716-549: Was also transformed into Premier Liha. In 2012, there was introduced additional competition in Premier Liha, the under-19 championship (see Ukrainian Premier League Reserves and Under 19 ). All these youth competitions "cleaned" the lower league structure of the second teams, but some clubs continue field them at national or regional levels. In Ukraine, second teams act same as farm teams and they do not have an age restriction as youth teams. Second teams are not allowed to compete in
1760-582: Was described as a development league for under-20s, but teams could field up to five over-age players in each game. Reserve teams (limited to under-21 players) of the clubs in the Scottish Premiership enter the Scottish Challenge Cup for lower division clubs (and some entrants from other parts of the British Isles). Proposals have been made by the bigger clubs to have 'B teams' placed into
1804-414: Was in effect just a change of name, whilst National 3 saw a major restructure. This new competition sees 168 clubs participating, in twelve parallel groups directly aligned to the thirteen new regions ( Corsica is merged with Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur to form a Méditerranee-Corse group). The administration of the league is devolved to the regional leagues on a group by group basis, with the exception of
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1848-540: Was joined by Atalanta Under-23 . In 2024, AC Milan became the third Italian club to form a reserve team, with the creation of Milan Futuro . From the days of the old Japan Soccer League , Japan allowed reserve teams to play in the main league system . Even today reserve teams of J. League clubs are allowed to compete in the Emperor's Cup . These teams were never promoted to the top flight due to their senior squad's presence there. Reserve clubs were usually localized in
1892-499: Was known as FC Krasyliv-Obolon as the second team of FC Obolon Kyiv , and there are other examples. Major League Soccer , the highest level of competition in the United States soccer league system , runs its own distinct reserve league, MLS Next Pro , which began play in 2022. Since the United States does not use promotion and relegation , there is no risk of reserve teams having to compete against their parent teams. MLS Next Pro
1936-471: Was organized competition for the Vyshcha Liha teams doubles. Some doubles were formed out of already existing second teams, other clubs kept their second teams as well as created additional doubles. It certainly reduced the number of second teams in regular league competitions as well eliminated some farm clubs. In 2008, championship among doubles was transitioned to youth competition (under-21) as Vyshcha Liha
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