Fulham Academy attains Category 1 status

[LBNo11]

Category One Status
Monday 30th July 2012
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The Club are delighted to announce that the Fulham Academy has been awarded Category One status under the new Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).

The EPPP is a Barclays Premier League initiative, backed by the Football League and Football Association, with the aim of revitalising youth football by developing areas such as coaching, education, welfare and medical care and providing greater opportunities for young players to progress.

Fulham are already one of the clubs leading the way at academy level having won their respective league title for the past two seasons and the national final last term. During the 2011/12 campaign Kerim Frei, Alex Kacaniklic, Tom Donegan, Neil Etheridge, Lauri Dalla Valle and Marcello Trotta all made their First Team debuts, with Buomesca Tue Na Bangna and Alex Brister involved in Martin Jol's pre-season plans this year.  

As the Club look ahead to further success, fulhamfc.com caught up with Academy Director Huw Jennings, in the first of two interviews, to find out what the Category One status means for the future of the Club...

First of all Huw, congratulations to everyone that was involved in the Academy achieving Category One status - because after no end of preparation on your team's part and a very stringent audit carried out by Double Pass (the League's auditors for classification), this was the news that we were all hoping for...

It was, and first and foremost I would like to thank all the staff at the Academy who have worked tirelessly to make sure we achieved top status. The inspection took place over three days and it was a very thorough and exhaustive process. To complete the pre-inspection alone was a huge undertaking and took at least 80 days preparation. We were assessed in several areas including management, quality of coaching, education and welfare, recruitment, facilities and productivity – pleasingly they were very complimentary as we met what was needed. That was a massive boost and shows that we are heading in the right direction because out of the 23 clubs that applied for Category One status we were one of the first to be audited.

So what does our Category One status mean for the Academy and Club?

As fans are probably aware, the EPPP is a new system that has been introduced this season and basically it will categorise all professional football clubs for their youth programmes. That categorisation ranks from one to four, with one being the highest. So to be ranked in the top bracket is obviously great news for everyone associated with the Club, because the benefits in many ways are endless. One of the main benefits is that a Category One club gets the opportunity to play in a national games programme at Under-21, Under-18 and Under-16 level – providing a more competitive environment. Crucially, we will also retain the maximum funding level for our academy programme and over the next couple of years the funding to support that will increase as well. Then, on a playing front, we also have the added benefit that over time we will be able to sign players from further afield and spread our net more widely.

One of the key focuses of this re-structure is the long-term development of our young players as well isn't it?

Well the idea is to develop more, and better, players for our First Team. Of course, over the past couple of seasons we have started to see some of our younger players make the step up, but we want to create a regular stream of future talent. The Category One status will allow us to give our boys an even more extensive programme by providing increased contact time for our players and coaches. With the success of our Coombe School programme in recent years, we are already in a good place in that sense, but I think we all know how important it is to give players more time with a ball and there will now be up to 12 hours of on-pitch coaching time per week for these players. The award will also demonstrate to our players and their parents that we have the best standards possible at Fulham and with the Category One licence granted for the next three years it is a chance to push on and do even better.

As part of the classification, there will also be a new Under-21 league which will be introduced to provide a competitive element within the new categories...

With the introduction of the EPPP, the creation of an Under-21 Barclays Premier Development League is just one of a number of changes that have been put into place ahead of the 2012/13 season. In essence it's designed to bring together the country's best young players in a competitive format – and for me, that was an important step. I think many clubs felt that the old reserve team system just wasn't working. The Under-21 matches will mirror those of our Under-18s and Under-16s, which bring cohesion to the process. It's a national programme and provisionally we will be in a group of seven which includes Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Wolves. Each team will be able to field three overage players as well, and an overage goalkeeper. It's about providing a competitive environment and one that will hopefully provide a stepping stone to our First Team.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/July/Category1Status.aspx

[elgreenio]

Massive starting point for the club. We're still a bit behind the game and need to carry on the investment instead of resting on the pittance we'll get from this though. Facilities are still far from what we should have.

We'll notice the affects more next season though as all clubs who applied for Cat 1 will play in our leagues this year due to some clubs not being audited yet.

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[ScalleysDad]

I remember the appointment of Huw Jennings getting a bit of a ripple when it was announced but the applause should be much louder now. One of the all time shrewd signings imho.
I hear what you say Mr Elgreenio about status and funding but every club I have ever worked with down these parts would kill for a pittance of funding. Argyle are on the eigth of nine lives, Torquay could yet falter, Exeter will rely heavily on selling out the derbies and Yeovil and Bristol Rovers are stalling. Five Clubs on the slide that would turn things around on a pittance.


not mean't to be a rant but pre season talk already is all about survival.

[elgreenio]

Thing is that I'm not sure the scales are balanced enough. Yes the lower clubs will get funding, but they won't be getting as much compensation as is the current norm when their young players are poached by the bigger teams. Swings and roundabouts really. The FA seem to forget about these lower league clubs when making these decisions

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[Lighthouse]

Where were the celebrations when I achieved this status at her Majesty's pleasure? So unfair.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Thing is that I'm not sure the scales are balanced enough. Yes the lower clubs will get funding, but they won't be getting as much compensation as is the current norm when their young players are poached by the bigger teams. Swings and roundabouts really. The FA seem to forget about these lower league clubs when making these decisions

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Will there be Champ clubs with category 1 statuses?

This is a screw job on the current league clubs, but in terms of making the national team better, it was the right thing to do.

[elgreenio]

Boro and Wolves so far. C.Palace would be if it weren't for them having two seperate training sites

[Mr_Moon]

In terms of making the national team better, it wouldn't be a bad place to start if clubs actually graduated English youngsters. Instead we've got a load of u18 footballers from all over Europe and the World who will never contribute to the national team. It's a shame, we're just producing players for other nations.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

In terms of making the national team better, it wouldn't be a bad place to start if clubs actually graduated English youngsters. Instead we've got a load of u18 footballers from all over Europe and the World who will never contribute to the national team. It's a shame, we're just producing players for other nations.

I think the key here is that Fulham can now source players from further afield.

In the past, Fulham have only been able to get British youngsters who live a certain distance away (90mins or something like that?) and we have been competing in the same area as Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, Spurs, West Ham etc.

There was no such restriction on foreign players, so it is easy to grab them once they are getting near playing age.

[Mr_Moon]

I think the key here is that Fulham can now source players from further afield.

In the past, Fulham have only been able to get British youngsters who live a certain distance away (90mins or something like that?) and we have been competing in the same area as Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, Spurs, West Ham etc.

There was no such restriction on foreign players, so it is easy to grab them once they are getting near playing age.

I know, but I'm saying it's wrong. I don't agree with it at all even if EU employment law allows clubs to do so. I value principle higher than whether Fulham might sign some Swedish kid.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I think the key here is that Fulham can now source players from further afield.

In the past, Fulham have only been able to get British youngsters who live a certain distance away (90mins or something like that?) and we have been competing in the same area as Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, Spurs, West Ham etc.

There was no such restriction on foreign players, so it is easy to grab them once they are getting near playing age.

I know, but I'm saying it's wrong. I don't agree with it at all even if EU employment law allows clubs to do so. I value principle higher than whether Fulham might sign some Swedish kid.

sorry, what I mean is that Fulham can get youngsters from further afield in the UK. They are dropping the 90 min rule so we will be able to get youngsters from outside London.

[Jamie88]

I assume there would be extra friendlies or other fixtures to compensate for the lack of teams in our group then no? It seems a very short season if they are to only be playing 12 league fixtures and some in the cup..
And I take it that the Under-18s will have a mirrored fixture list?

Oh..and hello everyone by the way, first post!  :038:

[LBNo11]

I assume there would be extra friendlies or other fixtures to compensate for the lack of teams in our group then no? It seems a very short season if they are to only be playing 12 league fixtures and some in the cup..
And I take it that the Under-18s will have a mirrored fixture list?

Oh..and hello everyone by the way, first post!  :038:

...welcome Jamie, please make sure it is not your only post, wide and varied opinion is the lifeblood of any forum...

076.gif

[Jamie88]

I assume there would be extra friendlies or other fixtures to compensate for the lack of teams in our group then no? It seems a very short season if they are to only be playing 12 league fixtures and some in the cup..
And I take it that the Under-18s will have a mirrored fixture list?

Oh..and hello everyone by the way, first post!  :038:

...welcome Jamie, please make sure it is not your only post, wide and varied opinion is the lifeblood of any forum...

076.gif

Ah don't worry, I think I'll be sticking around!

[cmg]

In terms of making the national team better, it wouldn't be a bad place to start if clubs actually graduated English youngsters. Instead we've got a load of u18 footballers from all over Europe and the World who will never contribute to the national team. It's a shame, we're just producing players for other nations.

Whilst appreciating the need to protect our own national interests (God knows, the England team needs an injection of young talent) I think we sometimes overreact to this as far as FFC is concerned, particularly in view of the fact that recent 'breakthrough' youngsters have, indeed tended to be overseas players.

However the following Development/Academy players are (as far as I can ascertain) English by birth: Bettinelli, Brister, Burn, Smith, Arthurworrey, Pritchard, Banya, Della Verde, Woodrow, Donegan, Sambou, Peniket. There may be others and there are, of course, also some Scots, Welsh and Irish representatives. We can't really be accused of neglecting domestic players.

[Mr_Moon]

Whilst appreciating the need to protect our own national interests (God knows, the England team needs an injection of young talent) I think we sometimes overreact to this as far as FFC is concerned, particularly in view of the fact that recent 'breakthrough' youngsters have, indeed tended to be overseas players.

However the following Development/Academy players are (as far as I can ascertain) English by birth: Bettinelli, Brister, Burn, Smith, Arthurworrey, Pritchard, Banya, Della Verde, Woodrow, Donegan, Sambou, Peniket. There may be others and there are, of course, also some Scots, Welsh and Irish representatives. We can't really be accused of neglecting domestic players.

Point taken.

I was looking through the age groups earlier on the official website and there looked a good mix between domestic and foreign players. Looking at the bigger picture, there are 19 other top flight clubs, all of which will have a handful to plenty of foreign youngsters in their academies. That's a large number of places that could have been taken up by English youngsters who would greatly benefit from top class coaching (I know that the Prem clubs don't necessarily have the best academies).

I believe that nuture, not nature that is the reason why some nations excel when it comes to producing footballers.

[cmg]

I believe that nuture, not nature that is the reason why some nations excel when it comes to producing footballers.

I'm sure you are right.

The whole business of the apparent decline of the England national team coincidental with the influx of overseas talent into the upper echelons of the club game has intrigued me for some time. I can't totally get my head around it. Cause and effect would seem obvious here...and yet I can't help but think that when top div. teams were made up predominantly of English players only a handful in each team were considered to be of international class or potential. Now, virtually all English players playing regularly in the top div. are internationals or 'on the verge'. It could, maybe, thus be argued that the overseas stars have only replaced the 'below standard' English players.

It's, obviously, much more complicated than that. Even the list of young English Fulham players I posted earlier to smartly make a point, could easily be misleading. We can't know which of them will succeed - but looking at the list only Burn is currently under consideration (it's a make-or-break season in a way for him and he might be considered at best a 50/50 shot). Of the rest (Woodrow, Banya may be the most likely)... well, who knows? I would say that the list of 'those most likely to succeed' would be headed, mostly, by the overseas boys - Minkwitz, Mesca, Williams, Trotta, Altman, Tankovic (not to mention Frei and Kacaniklic). So what the answer is I don't know. Good job I turned them  down when the FA came calling!

[elgreenio]

I assume there would be extra friendlies or other fixtures to compensate for the lack of teams in our group then no? It seems a very short season if they are to only be playing 12 league fixtures and some in the cup..
And I take it that the Under-18s will have a mirrored fixture list?

There'll be cross-group games so it'll be a full season. And welcome

[Mr_Moon]

Does it have qualification to the NextGen series?

[elgreenio]

Does it have qualification to the NextGen series?

no NextGen is seperate entirely. It would be our next natural step, especially if we manage to go a couple of steps further in the youth cup.