Huddersfield Town had one of the youngest SkyBet Championship squads during the 2016/17, according to football analysis website Experimental 3-6-1.
With an average age of just 25.7, only Wolverhampton Wanderers (25.4), Brentford FC (24.4) and Barnsley FC (24) had a lower average age of their starting XI – the Tykes the only club not to field a single player aged 30 or over throughout the season.
The top of the league also makes for an interesting comparison with Brighton & Hove Albion putting their faith in experience with Newcastle United opting for youth – with the Magpies' starting line-ups on average three years younger than the Seagulls'.
Nobody under the age of 23 got much of a look-in Chris Hughton's side, whereas the Magpies seldom fielded anyone in their 30s.
Have a look below at the visual overview of the age of players that each club has fielded in league matches this campaign, courtesy of football analysis website Experimental 3-6-1
Notes
- All the league minutes played by every player has been added up and the percentage accumulated by players of every age calculated, rolling up “18 and under” and “35 and over” for neatness’ sake.
- Each vertical “step” on a club’s chart is a year, with the major age milestones denoted by slightly thicker lines. The width of the coloured graph at each step corresponds to the percentage of minutes accounted for by players of that age.
- The average age of each club’s starting line-ups during the season has also been calculated and with all clubs in the division sorted from oldest to youngest.
