Article by Roland Ivancso | Football Benchmark
As competition intensifies in the global football talent market and transfer fees for not only proven, but also talented young players reach record levels, clubs are increasingly prioritizing internal talent development to remain competitive. At the heart of this developmental shift lies a critical but often underappreciated platform: the reserve team.
Situated between academy structures and the first team, reserve teams (also referred to as B teams) represent a significant financial commitment—staffing, infrastructure, and operational costs—but also act as high-value developmental platforms when properly integrated. They offer a structured environment where emerging players can mature in alignment with a club’s football philosophy, while also supporting squad management.
An analysis of UEFA member associations reveals a mixed approach. In approximately 63% of these associations, reserve teams are embedded within the senior football pyramid. These models usually operate under clear regulatory frameworks, with varying degrees of restrictions on promotion, use of overage players, and infrastructure requirements. In some cases, such as Scotland and Denmark, B teams compete in leagues below the fourth division.
In contrast, 37% of UEFA members—including England and Turkey—opt to keep reserve teams within isolated U21 or U23 leagues. The rationale often revolves around maintaining the integrity of lower divisions and avoiding financial disruption to smaller clubs. However, these closed competitions typically lack the intensity, physicality, pressure and realism of first team football, which may in some cases hinder the development of players on the cusp of professional readiness.
Contrasting models across Europe: Spain as a standout among key markets
Within the “Big Five” leagues, Spain offers perhaps the most embedded reserve team model. Every LaLiga club currently operates a B team, with ten competing in the third tier (Primera Federación), six in the fourth (Segunda Federación), and four in the fifth (Tercera Federación) during the 2024/25 season. This deep integration is enabled by the structure and depth of Spain’s football pyramid — the third tier is composed of two groups of 20 clubs each — and reflects the country’s longstanding emphasis on domestic player development.
Germany presents a more selective case. Amongst Bundesliga clubs, only Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart field B teams in the 3. Liga (third division), a league with just 20 clubs. Most other Bundesliga clubs have a reserve team, but they play in the fourth tier (Regionalliga) or below. After regulatory reforms in 2014, some clubs—including Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin— even chose to discontinue their reserve sides, opting instead for targeted loans and direct transitions.
Italy, by contrast, is experiencing a resurgence in interest. Juventus relaunched its reserve team (Next Gen) in 2018, with Atalanta BC following in 2023 and AC Milan in 2024. Inter Milan is expected to join in 2025. The model allows reserve teams to compete in Serie C and eventually gain promotion to Serie B under strict eligibility criteria, including limits on overage players, a requirement for primarily Italian-trained talent, and a €1.2 million annual contribution to Lega Pro.
France remains cautious. Reserve teams are restricted to the fourth tier (National 2) for clubs boasting a highly rated academy, limiting their exposure to professional football. As a result, some Ligue 1 clubs prioritize alternative strategies. AS Monaco, for example, decided to create its own, custom games programme outside of the traditional ecosystem.
What the data tells us: Reserve team utilization among top Spanish clubs
To assess the developmental impact of B teams, we analyzed the players with first-team appearances during the 2024/25 season across four leading Spanish clubs known for their strong academy traditions: Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Athletic Club, and Real Sociedad. Each club features a high number of players who previously played for its B team.
Real Sociedad (23) and Athletic Club (22) led the way, each with over 20 players having reserve-team experience, followed closely by FC Barcelona (16) and Real Madrid (14). Players at the Basque clubs logged the highest average minutes—approximately 3,500 minutes, or around 38 full matches—at B team level. At FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, players B-team stints were slightly shorter, averaging 2,100 and 2,600 minutes respectively.
Each player's trajectory is unique, shaped by individual development and first-team opportunities. For example, talents like Gavi (129 minutes) and Lamine Yamal (52 minutes) had minimal B-team involvement before breaking into the first team, while others—such as Iñaki Peña (5,730 minutes) and Marc Casadó (5,612 minutes)—followed a more gradual path through extensive reserve team experience.
However, despite this variance a consistent pattern stands out across these clubs: B teams serve as a meaningful and efficient springboard. Most players spend roughly one season in the reserves before moving on to the first team or as part of a structured loan. This indicates that reserve teams are not long-term tools, but fast-track environments designed to prepare players for professional demands as the last step before professionalization.
A contextual tool, not a universal solution
The reserve team model is not a one-size-fits-all solution, especially given the distinct characteristics of each market’s professional football ecosystem. While reserve teams can serve as valuable developmental tools, their effectiveness depends on local context and available opportunities.
In markets with favourable regulatory environments and adequate financial resources, reserve teams can become a strategic step in the player development pathway for high-performing academies. Conversely, in clubs with limited academy output, weak integration between the first team and academy, or insufficient exposure to competitive opposition, reserve teams risk becoming costly operations with limited return.
Therefore, the performance of an academy should not be assessed in isolation, but within the broader football ecosystem and its alignment with the club’s overall strategy.
Football Benchmark provides data-driven analysis to support objective evaluation of talent development approaches.
