For more information about “Football Academy Categories,” continue reading. We will also talk about the following subtopics: Football Academy Category One: Premier League 2 (U23s), Category One Football Academies, Category Two Academy List, and Working Principles Of Football Academy Categories.
The English youth football development system had a major and controversial overhaul in 2012. At this point, the Elite Player Performance Plan, or EPPP, was introduced. The Premier League was the driving force behind this programme, which sought to increase the quantity and quality of players with local training. The Premier League, the Football League, the Football Association, and a number of football clubs contributed to the joint strategy. Their main objective was to enhance the personal growth of each player.
Operating Guidelines For Football Academy Divisions
Through the use of an unbiased evaluation process, the EPPP academy system evaluates clubs using a grading system from 1 to 4, where 1 denotes the highest rank.
These evaluations, which are used to establish the proper grade, include a number of important topics, including welfare services, coaching, training facilities, and productivity rates.
By allocating funds to football academy categories in a tiered manner, the EPPP seeks to enhance English Youth Development financing from the FA and Premier League. As a result, funding for Category One academies will be higher than for Category Two and lower tiers.
Category One Football Academies
Being ranked #1 is extremely uncommon for football schools, not just those in the Premier League. This standing requires a great deal of effort from the club and is predicated on the calibre of their instruction, infrastructure, gear, and future expansion.
Significant costs are required to keep the Category One designation. Some clubs decide from disclosing their status to the public in order to avoid player and parent curiosity.
Category One Football Academy: Premier League 2 (U23’s)
Instead of competing in the U21 Premier League (2012–16), all Category 1 Academies will participate in Premier League 2 starting with the 2016–17 season.
Premier League 2 is open to football players under the age of 23. With this modification, the emphasis will be more on power, energy, and technical abilities so that young players may experience what it’s like to play for the starting squad. There are nine Championship teams and fifteen Premier competition teams in the competition.
Division One and Division Two are the two leagues that make up Premier League 2. Each contains twelve clubs, and teams are promoted or relegated at the conclusion of the season. Additionally, Category 1 schools are eligible to compete in the Premier League International Cup, the EFL Trophy, and the Premier League Cup.
Rules for Premier League 2:
- Each team competes against the others in their division twice, once at home and once away.
- The team that finishes in the top spot in Division One will be declared the champions.
- The two teams that finish at the bottom of Division One will be demoted to Division Two.
- The winners of Division Two will be promoted automatically to Division One.
- The teams that finish in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions in Division Two will participate in a playoff for the remaining promotion spot.
Football Academy Categories: U18 Premier League
The U18 Premier League serves as a springboard for young football players wishing to transition from after-school sports to the main squad. It is composed of fifteen Premier League and nine Championship teams, as well as twelve clubs from the north and south region groupings that are Category One Academies.
Category One Academies: U18 Premier League Rules:
Two matches will be played between each team in an area, once at home and once away. As the season draws to an end, the leagues are divided into three groups. As a result, new teams are formed. The best four teams from each area comprise the first final stage group. Teams in positions 5–8 comprise the second final stage group, while teams in positions 9–12 comprise the third and final stage group.
Following this, clubs in each group will play one match against one another, with the winner of Group 1 being crowned champion.
Former U18 Premier League Champions:
2021/22: Manchester City
2020/21: Manchester City
2019/20: –
2018/19: Derby County
2017/18: Chelsea
2016/17: Chelsea
2015/16: Manchester City
2014/15: Middlesbrough
2013/14: Everton
2012/13: Fulham
Category One Academy List
As part of the Premier League’s Elite Players Performance Plan (EPPP), these teams are designated as Category One.
Football Academy Categories: Category Two Academies (U23)
Compared to teams in Category 1, teams in Category two have slightly less dependable equipment. There are 11 clubs in the North and 10 in the South in the Professional Development League (PDL), which is divided into two divisions. Both of these 21 teams participated.
The top clubs from each of these groups then compete in a final to decide the Professional Development League. It’s also crucial to understand that this school football league is one division below the Premier League. However, there is no upward or downward mobility in this league structure.
Teams from every area will face one another both on the road and at home. To determine who wins the PDL title, the top two clubs from each area will then compete in a playoff.
Category Two Academies: U18 Professional Development League
There are also competitions between academies in the second tier in the U18 PDL. There are two regional divisions—North and South—and a playoff to decide the winner.
U18 Professional Development League Rules:
Every squad has two home and away games against the other teams in their region.
To determine the final rankings, the top two teams from each area square off in a play-off scenario.
Previous U18 Professional Development Lead National Champions:
2020/21
U18 Professional Development League National Champions: Wigan Athletic
U18 Professional Development League North Division Champions: Wigan Athletic
U18 Professional Development League South Division Champions: Charlton Athletic
In summary
To sum up, football academies are essential for fostering talent and turning young players into accomplished athletes. Additionally, by classifying these academies according to age groups, talent levels, or other factors, they enable prospective football players to get specialised training and development chances. However, football academy categories play a major role in the development and prosperity of the sport at all levels by providing players with a disciplined route for advancement and improvement.
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