The side has been successful in recent decades, as well as becoming national champions in the 2003–04 and 2009–10 seasons, the team also won four out of five Southern Championships between 2007 and 2012, before the format changed to the Professional Development League.

Current senior squad players Lamare Bogarde, Jacob Ramsey, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Filip Marschall, Tommi O'Reilly and Finley Munroe all came through the youth system at the club.

Notable former players to have come through the Villa academy include Jack Grealish, Brian Little, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ciaran Clark, Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Darius Vassell, Marc Albrighton, Andreas Weimann, Brian McClair, and Steven Davis among many others.

[citation needed] During the Second World War, TIME Magazine reported that the Villa reserve team, all captured at Dunkirk, thrashed their captor SS guards.

This also meant that due to geographical circumstances, Aston Villa Reserves were switched from the Northern Division, to the Southern equivalent, for the first time since the start of the original format in 1999.

Inspired by Swedish striker Tobias Mikaelsson, Aston Villa Reserves clinched the 2007–08 Southern title, their second regional success since the inception of the league in 1999.

Andreas Weimann netted nine goals, to help Villa keep up their trend of securing the Southern title - their third consecutively - in the 2009–10 season.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the season, was a 10–1 home victory over Arsenal at the Greene King Stadium, en route to finishing third in the league.

[citation needed] In the 2009/10 season Villa clinched top spot in Group B of the Premier Academy League, impressively notching the most wins (22), most points (68) and most goals (84) of all 41 clubs involved.

This subsequently meant a final against FA Youth Cup winners Manchester City, which was comprehensively won 2–0, with goals from James Collins and Chris Herd.

The top scorers for the season were Austrian striker Andreas Weimann (16) and English striker Nathan Delfouneso (15).The 2008/09 season was less fruitful for Villa's youngsters, as they finished 3rd in Group B, and were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup at the first hurdle, losing in the Third Round to eventual champions Arsenal.

[citation needed] The team train at Bodymoor Heath in North Warwickshire and also play their home matches there on weekends.

Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor captained Villa to the semi-final in 2006 - losing to the eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds - and also received the 'Player of the Tournament' accolade.

[11] In the in 2019 tournament, Villa won the secondary 'plate' trophy; players including Akos Onodi, Lewis Brunt and Cameron Archer featured.

Having made the quarter-finals in the 2011-12 Series, the academy side captained by Samir Carruthers won the final of the 2012-13 tournament on 1 April 2013 beating Chelsea 2–0, at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, in Como, Italy.