Chief executive Simon Clegg has confirmed that the Blues will not be applying for Academy Category One status for next season. Town have opted for Category Two in the Elite Player Performance Programme (EPPP) reorganisation of youth football which comes into effect this summer, but as reported by TWTD earlier in the month, could look to upgrade after promotion to the Premier League.

Clegg is aware that the news that the Blues won't be applying for Category One before the end of the month deadline won’t be universally welcomed, but feels it’s the right decision for the club at this point in time: “It is a very emotive subject, I recognise that, but I think the most important thing is that we do the right thing for this football club and that has driven the entire process.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on this, it has been right at the top of my agenda for the last three or four months and we’ve employed another full-time member of staff and a part-time consultant to lead on this area.

“The manager is fully in the loop and is fully supportive of what we’re doing and where we’re going, as are the Academy staff.

“We believe that this is the right decision for this football club and I’m confident that through this process what we’re delivering can only be enhanced."

He admits that Category One would be the ideal but says it’s beyond Town at present at £2.35 million per annum - including a Premier League grant of £750,000 - and rising by £50,000 a season. Category Two costs at least £960,000 per season, including a grant of £480,000.

“Of course we would aspire to Category One but it’s just not viable at this moment in time,” he said. “I think we will also need to see what happens through the process of those clubs who are applying for Category One; how many get it, particularly how many clubs — if indeed any — from outside the Premier League.

“It’ll also be interesting to see how many Premier League clubs are not applying for Category One status.

“But all of that is a bit of a distraction because the entire process here has been driven by what is right for this football club and I’m convinced that going for Category Two at this moment in time is the right thing to do."

Clegg says that although spending on the club's Academy is outside the new Financial Fair Play rules, it still has an impact on Town's overall expenditure: “Marcus Evans is an incredibly generous individual in terms of the way that he supports this club, but he hasn’t got bottomless pockets.

“What we had to do was make the right decision for this football club and balance up the money that is available in terms of how we want to spend it and where youth development fits within the rest of the club and particularly where it fits against first team expenditure.”

Clegg says that Town, who voted against the EPPP reorganisation in October, can reassess their position and would consider doing so if they are promoted to the Premier League, although not necessarily in the first season: “If you want to apply for recategorisation, you can.

“But be very clear, we don’t have anywhere near some of the residential facilities that would be required for Category One. That would require massive extra additional investment on the part of the club.

“But if we got to the Premier League and thought we could justify an application, then we can make an application and clubs can be recategorised, both upwards and downwards.”

The chief executive says that even though the Blues will be applying for Category Two — that deadline is the end of next month - more money will be spent on the Academy than is the case at the moment with the Premier League minimum figures unrealistic: “Net, [the current annual cost is] about £900,000. I think there will be an increase in expenditure on a like-for-like basis, which is significantly more than [the figures quoted above].

“The additional staffing element is the first thing, but we’re still working that through because one of the frustrating things is that the goalposts have been changing through this entire process, which is why it’s taken us so long to get to a position where we’re announcing what we’re doing.

“Even the games programme isn’t sorted. It won’t be sorted until Thursday when there’s a meeting of the Premier League clubs to decide what it will be.”

The number of extra staff isn’t yet set but Clegg gave a rough idea: “I don’t want to split them down between full-time and part-time at the moment, but somewhere between six and eight. The current total of full-time staff is nine or 10.”

He says it’s not been decided whether current Academy manager Sammy Morgan will be in a similar position in the new set-up: “We’re still working through the entire staffing structure of the Academy. The staff are aware that we’re going to have a structure there that is right to support Category Two.

“People are excited about the opportunities and expecting people to move over into new positions, but it will be a new structure that will be in place and we’re yet to see where we’re going to get to on that.”

One of the major expenses and the challenge over the summer will be to get Playford Road up to Category Two standard, currently it's at Category Three level: “We are going to need another two classrooms up at the training ground. We’ll need additional offices to accommodate the additional staff.

“We’ll certainly need an analysts’ suite, we’ll need two analysts for working through all the video technology. We’ll require a head of sports science, a team meeting room and additional changing rooms as well.

“We will look to be as creative as we can, but the bottom line is that we are going to have to have additional facilities.”

With Norwich City and various London clubs having announced that they’re opting for Category One, there are fears that youngsters could decide to join those higher status set-ups rather than Town’s.

Clegg says he doesn’t feel this will be a problem with those based locally: “I’m sure that those players who come from our natural catchment area are still going to gravitate towards Ipswich Town.

“It would be a massive decision for any young aspiring footballer to effectively up sticks, lock, stock and barrel and move up to the North-East or the North-West or wherever.

“I think that we will continue to attract and compete for overseas players and I’m absolutely convinced that the wonderful set-up that we’ve got here at the training ground, coupled with the way that we can demonstrate our track record in developing talent and giving people first team football opportunities, will entice the right players to this club.”

Over the years, Town's Academy has brought in players from slightly further afield — Darren Bent, for example, was from Cambridge — who are a similar distance from other clubs and Clegg admits that the Blues might now be at a disadvantage in attracting players in that position: “If we find individuals on the cusp, who could be pulled in two directions, we’re going to have to work even harder to demonstrate why the set-up and the people that we’ve got at Ipswich and our track record gives their young son the best chance of making it as a professional footballer.”

Category One clubs are able to poach players from Category Two and below, which the former British Olympic Association chief says is a concern, although intimating that similar situations are not unknown under the current system anyway: “That’s always a danger.

“Obviously they can’t do that at the moment and part of the this new youth development system is that Category One clubs will be able to scout and potentially poach on a nationwide basis and those developing clubs will get lower levels of compensation than they are entitled to currently.

“But at the moment, let’s just say that it’s not been unknown for things to happen unofficially that involve players moving from one place to another.”

Those players who could potentially be poached are those who are yet to sign a full-time scholarship. Therefore someone such as 16-year-old Byron Lawrence, who has already put pen to paper to commit to spending the next two seasons at Playford Road, would not be subject to the somewhat less than generous new compensation scheme if wanted by a Category One club.

Despite being frustrated by changes which appear designed purely to benefit established Premier League clubs, the gradual drip feeding of information over the last six months, the hammer-to-crack-a-nut nature of the auditing tool and the process of writing a performance plan which will be more than 200 pages long by the time it's finished, Clegg is confident that there are good times ahead for the Blues’ youth set-up: “I’m very excited about the future for the Academy.

"I think this process is going to take us forward because through it we’re going to have to make an even greater investment in youth development.

“I remain convinced that the excellent track record that we’ve got of developing young footballers, and in particular giving them first team opportunities at a very early stage - we had Connor Wickham playing first team football a couple of years ago at 16 years and 11 days and we’ve got other people coming through the pipeline at the moment - will only be further enhanced by the additional investment that we’re going to have to make.“

Photo: Action Images

tractorboy2434 added 11:27 - Mar 30 The simple fact is we have no money and Cat 1 status is completely beyond us as are the days of million pound transfers, the sooner people accept this the better, we are now down with the also rans in the same category as teams like Derby, Forest, Watford, Barnsley, Posh etc, the days of big fees and big transfers are over for clubs like Ipswich as is any financially sustained push for Premier League, we are going to be here for a long time on 15-16 K gates I'm afraid

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newlyn added 11:33 - Mar 30 No doubt the Clegg bashers will be out in force! Why should we spend millions of pounds thinking that we are on a par with the greedy 'big boys' of the premiership who are only interested in themselves and care nothing for grass roots football. They want all the talented schoolboys for themselves and good let them have them. The facts are that there are no guarantees that a talented school boy will develop into a talented adult, in fact statistics would indicate otherwise. If we were sensible we would invest in top talent spotters who would identify the good players that the premiership team reject at 16 or 18 years of age. Let them spend the millions developing youngsters, their greed will still see them buying in proven players from abroad! This is the route to go!

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djc75 added 11:37 - Mar 30 Well said Gilesy... finally someone with a bit of common sense and is in the real world. As much as i would like the club to be in Category 1 status I fully back the decision to apply for Category 2. I think we will still have a good youth set up as we have a good record of bringing good quality youth players through the system and don't think much will change in that respect and players that come through our system will have a more realistic chance of getting first team football unlike a lot of other clubs.

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casanovacrow added 11:38 - Mar 30 twinned with the financial fair play rules it seems the FA are out to kill off the football league just to aid those preators in the premier league. no surprise there, rule of life, steal from the poor to make the rich richer. one day the masses will rise up and put footballs governing bodies in their place, its the peoples game not theirs, they can frankly "do one"

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ElvisMariner added 12:09 - Mar 30 Sadly the financial gulf between the divisions in England is getting wider and the Premier League doesnt give a damn about the Championship or the rest of the Football League...... they just want it all for themselves.The EPPP does nothing to help spread the money in football around - it will give the Prem clubs even more opportunity to pick the pockets of clubs like ours....unfortunately ITFC have had little choice in making this decision.

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Strikes added 12:24 - Mar 30 I'm a bit of a Clegg critic myself but I can see this one isn't down to him, it's the Premier League taking one further step towards a closed shop by giving the established clubs one more advantage over the lower leagues. Here's a prediction for you - within ten years there will be no promotion to and relegation from the Premier League. It will become like the rugby league Superleague, the NFL across the pond and the AFL or A League in Australia, and move towards a licensing / franchise model. Put simply, you apply to get in, and not necessarily on merit. Football, as we know it, is slowly dying. Getting back on thread, the galling thing is that the budgies have gone for category one. I'm depressed now, off for a cry ...

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tractorboybig added 12:35 - Mar 30 We are not a top club, we are not a big club. we are not the best in anglia. Cut your cloth accordingly. This is a sound financial good option for a club like ours.
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alfromcol added 13:01 - Mar 30 Good judgement Easier to buy good youngsters when others have invested in them. Always plenty of cast-offs who make good later on
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simonsays added 13:01 - Mar 30 Booooo. Clegg out!
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IvorFeeling added 13:04 - Mar 30 Does anyone have a link or true detail of what Cat1 or Cat2 is. I can't slag the decision because I don't know all of the facts and in one respect the fall-out from Rangers/Porstmouth situation is making clubs like ours, start to make proper financial decisions. My worry is that the cream will rise to the top and it will be attracted to glitter! What I mean is that the decision on where your child would go if you lived in Cambs, Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk and you truly beilieved he was good enough to be pro would be to go to the best available. Even if the decision in the early years is to stay local then as they get older and start to approach 14/15 then it would be difficult to refute overtures from cat1 clubs. In effect the Cat2 system will be an additional feeder into the cat1 set-ups. It will be along time before we fully understand the effect of this decision but I beilieve the difference between the Prem and other leagues will becoming larger and larger to the extent that those being demoted from the Prem will walk back in the following season. I can't help thinking that in the crazy world of football I would rather have a great youth set up and discount the costs from the transfer/wages budget of the pro's. This way you will force your youth policy to be one of the best and pay for itself many times over.

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SouperJim added 13:20 - Mar 30 A typically gutless decision by the club. The premier league want to shaft us, so Clegg's answer is to drop his trousers. Of course the argument he has laid out seems sensible and reasonable, it doesn't change the fact that once again we are acting in a reactionary manner, rather than being ahead of the curve. I'm no rocket surgeon, but surely financial fairplay = running a tighter ship and not throwing so much cash around on wages etc. Therefore, surely we should have more money to play with for things like the academy, given that it sits outside of the ffp rules? Clearly this is one area where clubs with a wealthy backer will be able to gain an edge once ffp comes in, if they are brave enough. Those of you waving the white flag of surrender, will you still support captain paintbrush when that club up the road start poaching our youngsters?

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newboy added 13:49 - Mar 30 Firstly I think maybe we should be grateful they even going for Cat 2 under current management/ownership youth is not valued and there is no cohesion at the club at all on that level. Sammy Morgan may get a different role THAT ROLE NEEDS TO BE AT THE TOP OR IT IS DOOMED . I agree they waste money on OAP pro's instead of building for the future but I will say again when Keane was sacked he was mid table with a team on cheaper wages that consisted of 4 academy players under 20 this manager just toys with the youngsters for fun. Our academy has such a bad reputation now no one will want to come here anyway unless they are not good enough for anyone else.

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RegencyBlue added 14:06 - Mar 30 This is a decision which will hurt the club and is yet another reminder that we truly are 'second division' these days. Having said that the decision has been taken and as mere supporters we are stuck with it. One thing that should be knocked on the head though is this business of how 'generous' Marcus Evans is. He's not! All he is doing is lending ITFC money, for which he is taking interest out of the club each year, and is expecting repayment of the capital at some point in the future. It may well be the mark of a canny businessman but its not generous!!

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DurhamTownFan added 15:01 - Mar 30 While I agree with this based only on financial grounds, I do find it amusing that commentators are now agreeing with Clegg based on the evidence he's sensibly outlined in the story above. Perhaps he's not such a bad CEO after all!
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BillBlue added 15:39 - Mar 30 RegencyBlue. Spot on friend, I agree with every word. COYB
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newboy added 16:11 - Mar 30 you are correct regency blue ME is not a generous benefactor he loans the club money at a high rate of interest the club falls further in debt he reaps the rewards lets see where both he and clegg are after the olympics
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jas0999 added 16:35 - Mar 30 Disappointing, but not surprising. I disagree with those who think Clegg is a good CEO. How many deals did he negotiate last Summer - other than for freebies that no-one else wanted. Answer: One (JET). He was away when we signed Chopra and Cresswell went to tribunal. When other clubs are competing for players, we generally lose out. I am confused where this club is heading. We are offering lower wages and although I understand the fair play debate, other clubs still seem to do deals for their own players and sign other clubs players. We don't. For me the academy is critical to a club like ours. It brings through players who will MAKE us money. You have to speculate to accumulate and as I have no faith that we will buy the right players in the Summer - I was hoping the future would be bright with youngsters coming through. I really hope PJ does not opt for more injury prone has beens. Having said that, ME and Clegg know our finances better than the fans - but I get the impression that this was always the route the club would go. Sad really.

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wideblue added 17:57 - Mar 30 Newboy - 'he reaps the rewards'? How, exactly? An average Championship club owner makes a net contribution of c. £6m p.a. The club debt is owed to Marcus Evans Group and, on that basis, these funds could equally have been invested elsewhere and earned a return, probably at equal or less risk. I agree that ME is not a generous benefactor, but only to the same extent that Abramovich, the Glazers, John Henry, Randy Lerner, the sainted Delia and Michael Foulger are not generous benefactors.

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newboy added 17:33 - Mar 31 Its not rocket science you loan someone money at a rate of interest and as the debt grows so does your profit ie he loaned ipswich money / iTFC debt grows because they cannot pay it off . The person making the loan ie ME sees his loan returning a better rate than any other investment would at this rocky time. If the loans was interest free then yes i would call him a generous benefactor as is it is just a money making scheme. Clear enough for you wide blue

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