Clegg: We've Got It Right on Academy
Tuesday, 8th May 2012 16:58

Chief executive Simon Clegg is confident that Town have made the right decision to opt for Academy Category Two status in the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) reorganisation of youth football which takes place this summer. The Blues submitted their Category Two application prior to the end-of-April deadline.

Clegg said: “I believe we are ahead of the game, we have employed a consultant and a full-time member of staff to do nothing else apart from write our EPPP application.

“I’m pleased to confirm that at 5pm on the Friday evening [April 27th], before the Monday deadline, all 199 entry points had been satisfied to on the electronic audit tool to give us Category Two.”

The Town chief believes that not all clubs will prove to be quite as well prepared as the Blues with some likely to fail meet the standard required for the level they are targeting: “People think that I’ve been scaremongering over this issue but I think you’ll find that in the fullness of time that I’ve called it right and have put us in the best possible position.

“People have got to understand that this is a fundamental shift in the way that we are operating. Two clubs went through a dummy audit recently and let’s just say there were a lot of surprises.”

The drip-feeding of information from the Premier League, which Clegg has previously criticised, has continued but with personnel details now confirmed: “The staffing structure is now finalised and I’ve got an obligation to speak to the existing staff before I put anything into the public domain.”

In terms of facilities, Category Two requires extra rooms at Playford Road and Clegg is presently assessing the alternatives: “I am creatively looking at a number of options. We have a requirement for additional rooms and I’m looking to see how we satisfy that requirement.

“We don’t have the resources to put up additional permanent structures and temporary structures [at Playford Road] might be an option.”

Photo: Action Images

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itfcjoe added 17:12 - May 8 Proof of the pudding will be in the eating.....
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Superfrans added 17:21 - May 8 Will be very illuminating to see how many clubs have applied for category 1, 2 and 3 - and whose applications are accepted.
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itfcjoe added 17:43 - May 8 Agreed, but to come out and say we've got it right either makes you look arrogant or sets you for a fall. Hopefully he'll just look arrogant at end and we embrace all parts of cat 2 academy to see benefits, including the u21 league
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jas0999 added 17:46 - May 8 Time will tell - can understand the financial side of things, but still think the quality will end up suffering, as better young players will end up elsewhere. I am not in favour of the Cat 2, but that's the decision the club have made.
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walberswick added 17:53 - May 8 It's premature to be saying that ITFC have done the right thing. How is tha academy going to be so great when it's teams are not allowed to play Cat 1 sides, (Arsenal, West Ham, Chelsea, Spurs, etc...)
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Mungo added 17:58 - May 8 Am I right in thinking that a Category 2 will involve the provision of greater facilities, coaching, etc, than our academy currently has on offer? If so, we should be getting more good players out of our academy, not less?
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Texaco73 added 18:15 - May 8

We'll only know how this will pan out in the fullness of time. I expect that the scheme will develop and evolve just so long as the clubs fight for the good of the league and not curtail to Prem money/pressure.
One thing I am confident of Mr Clegg is that if you have got it wrong, then you better be prepared to fix your handy work or get outta town. The academy is one of the cornerstones of our beloved club.

chalkandcheese added 18:34 - May 8 towns u14's take on suffolk county u14s this thursday, should be interesting game, the suffolk team have only recently been put together and have played 1 game so far, drawing away to norwich academy 1-1.... some good young players in the suffolk team from what i have seen.... http://www.suffolkfa.com/News/2012/04/PromisingStartForSuffolkFAU14sSquad.htm
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h32 added 18:40 - May 8

For those who want to see it - this Club is making, statements in terms of actions, as to their future ambition.
Have to say - I do not like what I see and hear, will be interesting to see where we level out.
As someone previously said - 'proof of the pudding is in the eating'.
Clegg and Jewell continuosly fail to impress me with anything they say or do - I now believe that many others think likewise - at last.

h32 added 18:45 - May 8 ......... both good at spin - but will not take us forward.
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Mark added 19:17 - May 8 At least we have hopefully avoided being rejected for Category 2, as that would have been pretty bad PR for the club in the eyes of the supporters!
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harlingblue added 19:43 - May 8

Looks like we will have two levels...The Prem will do what the want...Championship and lower, have to play by the FFP rules. If Academy 2 is best then so be it. The Prem will buy who the want, have numerous players from all over the world sitting on the bench or just watching from the stand, The Championship etc will have players wanting to play football and have Academies that have players that want to play for their team.
Murdoch and Sky are now hitting the wrong spotlight?

itfc1981 added 20:26 - May 8 First time for everything.
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walberswick added 21:09 - May 8 “We don't have the resources to put up additional permanent structures and temporary structures [at Playford Road] might be an option.” We can only afford portakabins!
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RegencyBlue added 21:18 - May 8 Time will tell one way or the other.
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HARRY10 added 21:23 - May 8 "“We don't have the resources to put up additional permanent structures " I wonder how many more pointers will be needed before the penny finally drops.
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buryblue77 added 22:12 - May 8

Why are we having to formalise this academy status system, almost screams of elitism to me as how can smaller clubs set up higher level academies? Thus missing out on youth and potentially the income that these youngsters bring to these clubs.
Along with FFP (another elitist structure, because again how can lower income clubs compete?) this is just more bureaucratic nonsense set to ruin the game, however I do understand the need for clubs to be more financially controlled and not live beyond there means it's a shame simple common sense can't have more of a say and not regulation.

TractorRoyNo1 added 23:21 - May 8 congrats you have filled in the form correctly, sadly it was the wrong form, is should have been headed 'CAT 1"
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ipswich134 added 01:05 - May 9

Cat 2 should be right at this point . I would do the same and see how things go before moving I cat 1. No point going for glory when you aren't sure of the possibility. Without ME monies would cat 2 even be possible ? Clegg comments should like bein relief to me . 199 points ! I would be stressed out ! Clegg said they kept changing the rules , so it's probably a relief to him.

algarvefan added 01:08 - May 9

Some of you have short memories, it's not that long ago we were staring into a financial abyss and in administration. This club is a second tier club and does not have a lot of money, we have been bailed out and kept afloat by Marcus Evans.

Some of you talk like we are a top club...we are not, nor really ever have been. We should go for what we can afford & that's Cat 2....I trust Cleggs judgement, he might know sweet FA about football but he does understand business.

ArnieMsBigToe added 08:59 - May 9

algarvefan: It is a harsh point that you make, but I feel it is correct. ITFC have managed to punch well above our weight in the past: Division 1 champions 61-62, FA cup winners 1978, EUFA cup winners 1985.

I fear that this sort of success can not be repeated by us, or by any other club of similar size. The game is now dictated by money. The good news is :
The canaries will never be able to match our achievements!! Yee haa!!

ChurchmanBlue added 09:18 - May 9

I have to say that I think that ITFC have got it right when applying for academy Cat 2 status. Norwich may have "applied" for Cat 1 status, but their current facilities are no better than ours so, if they are prepared to invest the significant extra funds to achieve this, good luck to them. From what I hear, Arsenal will only be looking to go Cat 2 next season, which is a prudent approach, considering no one knows how this will play out. With regards to who will be playing who, I also understand that Cat 2 will be able to play Cat 1, so there will be no change to the fixture list.
One point I would like to raise is that no one on this site seems to appreciate is how going Cat 1 would affect the academy players and their families. From what I have been told NCFC are planning to take the boys out of school for 2 days per week, as opposed to the Barcelona utopia of boarding type schools where the boys maintain their education, whilst gaining the extra playing time that is deemed so vital. How many parents would condone this happening to their son on the slim chance that they might actually make it as a professional footballer? For boys that do not live locally, how are they expected to travel to Ipswich for this, without increasing the burden on their parents? As it stands, until we can see the benefits of the new system, Cat 2 has to be the best solution. As Clegg has pointed out in the past, we can always change to Cat 1 at a later date.

walberswick added 09:34 - May 9 Cat 1 teams only play Cat 1 teams. Fact.
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newboy added 09:59 - May 9

This just shows how important PJ and current management feel youth is . It is just ticking a box to pretend they care and keep everyone quiet a few portakabins can be towed away quickly and cheaply when it suits. Boys won't come here the reutation of the academy has fallen so far that they are now preferring to sign for Colchester (who have all of the ITFC staff Humes, Hall etc)