The Chelsea under-18 team will kick-off their league season with a home game against Crewe Alexandra on Thursday, 21 August.

The Academy, which has taken on nine new scholars for the 2008/9 season, will be hoping to follow up a hugely successful 2007/8 which culminated in an FA Youth Cup final appearance - the club's first since 1961.

Many of that squad will still be eligible for under-18 action, with schoolboys Jeffrey Bruma and Frank Nouble two of the nine promoted from schoolboy status.

Once again, the under-18s will be managed by Paul Clement, who has now completed his first year in the role.

The first away trip is to Newcastle United on August 30, while a week later the squad return to Aston Villa, the team eliminated in the semi-final of last season's Youth Cup run.

The format for 2008/9 means that teams are split into groups. Chelsea in Group A, will play the other nine teams in that group twice, and then 10 inter-group games against teams from other leagues, making an overall league fixture list of 28 games.

The fixtures in full are listed below. Please note that all fixtures are subject to change at late notice. Home games will be played at the club's Cobham training ground.

21/08/08 Crewe Alexandra (h)
30/08/08 Newcastle United (a)
06/09/08 Aston Villa (a)
13/09/08 Reading (h)
20/09/08 Bristol City (a)
27/09/08 Ipswich Town (h)
04/10/08 Arsenal (a)
11/10/08 Southampton (h)
18/10/08 West Ham United (a)
01/11/08 Portsmouth (h)
08/11/08 Fulham (a)
15/11/08 Norwich City (h)
22/11/08 Charlton Athletic (a)
06/12/08 Crystal Palace (a)
13/12/08 West Ham United (h)
17/01/09 Portsmouth (a)
24/01/09 Fulham (h)
31/01/09 Norwich City (a)
07/02/09 Charlton Athletic (h)
14/02/09 Crystal Palace (h)
21/02/09 Ipswich Town (a)
07/03/09 Arsenal (h)
14/03/09 Southampton (h)
21/03/09 Tottenham Hotspur (h)
28/03/09 Cardiff City (a)
18/04/09 MK Dons (h)
25/04/09 Leicester City (h)
02/05/09 Watford (a)