The Categorising of Academies

Currently, in a very piecemeal fashion, clubs are being graded on the quality of their youth system.  It is understood 23 clubs applied for Category 1 status, 17 of which were Premier League clubs in 2011/12; Crystal Palace, West Ham Utd, Reading, Southampton and Watford are believed to be 5 of the other applicants.

The process of categorisation

It involves clubs applying for a specific category, the FA explains the selection process as:

‘The Category of a Club’s Academy shall be determined by the percentage that the Club scores on the Audit Tool as determined by its ISO Audit as follows:

  • Category 1, the Club must achieve a score of at least 75% on the Audit Tool;
  • Category 2, the Club must achieve a score of between 65% and 74% on the Audit Tool;
  • Category 3, the Club must achieve a score of between 50% and 64% on the Audit Tool;
  • Category 4, the Club must achieve a score of between 35% and 49% on the Audit Tool provided that in each case it also complies with the minimum mandatory criteria applicable to the relevant Category.’

Of course, understanding this statement is based on the pre-requisite of us knowing what the “Audit Tool” is.  Again, the FA states :

“Audit Tool” means the online application maintained by the League and approved by the PGB for the purpose of undertaking (in particular by the ISO) the evaluation and audit of Academies by the assessment of:

  • (a) the extent to which a Club meets the minimum mandatory criteria for Academies set out in these Rules;
  • (b) the extent to which it implements recommended best practice criteria which exceed the minimum mandatory criteria and which are set out in the Audit Tool;
  • (c) its Productivity Profile.’

It is here that the necessity for this blog becomes starkly apparent.  There is no simple way for football supporters to learn about the process of how their club’s academy will categorised.  It is a complex trail of breadcrumbs, wrapped in a jargonised riddle; hopefully by the end of this blog post it will have been solved.

The tangible financial effect

Clubs granted academy status will be awarded the following funding from the Premier League youth development pot:

  • Category 1 – club receives a minimum £775,000-a-year;
  • Category 2 – club receives a minimum £480,000-a-year;
  • Category 3 – club receives a minimum £210,000-a-year;
  • Category 4 – club receives a minimum £100,000-a-year.

The length of the license

Once categorised, the licence to operate an academy will be for 3 years unless some kind of “rule breaking” occurs.  Reviews will begin every 2 years

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