Under-21 Premier League fixtures revealed

Albion will kick off the new Under-21 Premier League with a game at home to Everton on August 19.

The Baggies have been drawn with Arsenal, Blackburn, Bolton, Everton, Norwich, Reading and West Ham in group one of the new competition.

Villa will face Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, Southampton, Stoke City and Sunderland in group two and will kick off at Watford on August 20.

And Wolves have been placed in group three alongside Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Chelsea, Liverpool and Fulham.

The competition has replaced the FA Premier Reserve League and only clubs who have applied for licences to operate 'category one' academies in the new Elite Player Performance Plan are able to enter. Each club can field up to three over-21 outfield players plus one over-21 keeper to allow first-team players returning from injury to play matches.

The 23-team league is made up of two groups of eight teams and one group of seven, the top two sides from each group and the two best third-placed teams advancing to the 'elite group stage' from January.

Teams who fail to advance to the elite group stage will compete in one of two qualification groups dependent on their performance during the first group stage. Development coach David Oldfield is set to take charge of Albion with Villa legend Gordon Cowans managing his club's team.