Managing director Ian Milne has confirmed that Town’s Academy won’t upgrade to Category One status for the new season, but says the Blues will aim to make the step up next year.

Town’s Category One aspirations were thwarted a year ago when they failed to make the required 75 per cent mark in an audit by just 0.3 per cent.

This year the Blues' hopes of upgrading from Category Two have been frustrated by the Premier League spending much of the season reviewing the qualification criteria and the announcement of a delay had been expected.

While Town are still to discover the full extent of the changes, additional requirements that they are aware of, such as new 3G pitches at their Playford Road training ground, will require significant further outlay and work.

“I had a meeting with [owner] Marcus [Evans] on Wednesday and the news is that we are planning to apply for Category One status, through the audit process, in the autumn of 2016,” Milne told the club site.

“They’ve been changing the rules for about 18 months now, which can be frustrating because it’s hard for us to know, at this present time, what is the new standard and what exactly is required.

“They’ve done a major overhaul of the audit. That’s where the knowledge gap is because that hasn’t quite filtered down yet.

“The Premier League need to really set down quickly what the new standards are that we have to meet, so we can crack on.

“On the bits that we do know about, we are working hard towards meeting them. We have been and continue to do everything we can do to deliver Category One status to Ipswich Town in the future.

"We know the support and appetite for the Academy is still as strong as ever. That was highlighted by the work Simon Milton and his team put in to making the recent London to Amsterdam Cycle Challenge a huge success for the academy.

“Sixty-seven cyclists took part, raising a lot of money for both the academy and Prostate Cancer UK and numbers continue to grow.”

Speaking to TWTD in April, Academy director Bryan Klug said that while the Blues' youth set-up has largely continued to operate as if it is Category One - albeit without the increased grant that comes with it - the biggest negative from a footballing perspective is playing matches against the likes of Brentford, Bristol City and Millwall rather than Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs.

“We’re doing it all, the only thing we’re missing out on is the games programme,” he said.

“The [Category One] games programme without a doubt would test our players more but a game’s a game and players are developing anyway.

“It would be better to be tested more severely week in, week out, but we’re coping and we’re making progress.”

Regarding the continued wait for the precise audit criteria, he added: “It’s a frustration without a shadow of a doubt but you have to deal with it.”

However, despite that, the 54-year-old felt the Academy made big strides during 2014/15.

“I think it’s been a very good season,” he said. “A lot of players have moved on into the U21s, we’ve had one or two who everyone knows about who are close to the first-team squad.

"The level of performance I’ve been quite pleased with. I think we’re making progress.”

Photo: Action Images

muccletonjoe added 07:08 - Jun 27 Most of the academy games I have seen ,we seem to be developing the best of our youngsters along the right lines without cat.one status, although I think it is definitely an advantage in attracting players
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wkj added 07:46 - Jun 27 I have to agree. Even though we are not category one, your youth set up and Klug are an amazing asset
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RIPbobby added 07:48 - Jun 27 Hmmm? It will be tough for us to get category 1 status if we don't know what the constitution of it all is. Seems odd to me. If clubs already in category 1 don't know what the rules are then how do they know they are meeting them and thus maintain their status. This article seems odd and I cannot comprehend it.
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Lord_Mac added 07:55 - Jun 27 Sounds like the elite clique that found a way to refuse us entry want to pull up the drawbridge and keep us out. It's partly our own fault though because Clegg and co didn't see the value of it at the outset and we were slow out of the blocks. Keep going guys.
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big_gaz67 added 08:07 - Jun 27 This is a great piece of news on two levels. One - the content, that we are seeking the best academy status in a logical and timely fashion Two - the way the fans are being advised about this , the club has come so far in such a short time and whilst MMcC and TC must be credited with this on the playing side so must Ian Milne for releasing the fans have emotional ownership of the club as a whole and really appreciate being kept informed rather than Clegg who really didn't understand that side of it at all.

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big_gaz67 added 08:07 - Jun 27 Even realising not releasing!!!
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ArnieM added 08:15 - Jun 27 Shock amazement, Town cant enter the "closed shop" that Cat One so clearly is.
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Mr_Evans added 08:30 - Jun 27 Is does seem Cat One is a closed shop to the smaller clubs. Losing out by 0.3% is laughable. I believe we should fight back to the PL - we are operating as Cat One status, we're pumping the money in yet we don't get the grants nor the games. I believe we should be allowed to become a 'Cat One - pending audit' academy. The club has stated that they will meet the criteria set once it has been confirmed - but why the PL are cleaning this is beyond me. I completely agree with big_gaz67; the club has come along way since the Keane and Jewell days - there's that community feeling back like there was during the Burley and Sheepshanks era. The club are much more transparent again; I see the retail manager had stated that the 2016/17 kits have already been chosen in advance - we would never have been told that before.

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bongoblue91 added 09:28 - Jun 27 Fu*k sake
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runningout added 09:41 - Jun 27 Surely our club must have an idea what is expected... if not, why not? Don't think ITFC realise how important this is to us followers.. We don't do second rate at anything
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SouperJim added 09:43 - Jun 27 Yet so many people on here defended Clegg, said he was doing a good job and put any criticism of him down to class war. The bloke was a muppet, Milne doing much better.
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runningout added 10:43 - Jun 27 Not sure what Sir Bobby Robson would think of being Category Two :-/
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Michael11 added 10:44 - Jun 27 We're doing great bringing boys through at the moment but imagine what we could do if we were able to stretch our search for players with cat one. The Premier League need to stop messing around as they are ruining football.
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blueherts added 12:30 - Jun 27 Premier League elitism is spot on - who runs football in this country? The FA? No The Football League? No...it is that oh so 'elite group controlled by dodgy foreign owners, an Australian multi national and oh, a bunch of bankers! No worries we are in great hands! Jokers all of em We are bringing through some decent players, Klug is a top guy and Milts on the commercial side. It is all BS Premier muppets. Ruined our game Love the Town and looking fwd to new season

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linhdi added 14:45 - Jun 27 Premier League closed shop in action. In theory anyone can have a Cat 1 Academy but unless you're already a Cat 1 Academy then we won't tell you what the criteria are, so there's no point in applying. We couldn't have got it first time around as the Academy had been so neglected under Keane that it was a massive effort to upgrade it even to Cat 2. Whatever we spent at that stage, we couldn't have made cat 1. Whatever, with Klug & Co in charge, it's really pulling out some results...

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therein61 added 16:57 - Jun 27 I take my hat off to Mr Klug and his hard working staff also to Marcus for his continued investment and determination to reach Cat 1, the prem are just peeing down on everyone below them and making life as difficult as they can for all clubs down the divisions, we are now bringing through some good youngsters from our own hard work which brings a really good feeling about our club again it's starting to feel like the supporters/family club that had been admired from afar for so many years until we had 2 numpty managers who tried to kill the spirit!!!!! but we are rising again!!!!! COYB.

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mrmorisato added 17:25 - Jun 27 I knew this would happen. The Premier league are deliberately changing the goalposts so clubs in the Championship won't be allowed to obtain category one status. Eventually Town will suffer as they'll lose all their best young players :( I'm very unhappy with this latest development.
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RegencyBlue added 17:47 - Jun 27 Massive mistake not to have gone for Cat 1 status right at the start of all this. Seem to recall most fans said as much at the time but the powers that be wouldnt have it!
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runningout added 23:37 - Jun 27 why slag off the Premier, just because we're not there yet...
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blue_movies added 23:51 - Jun 27 Good luck with Cat one next year.
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blueboy1981 added 18:19 - Jun 28 ........ after 'just' missing out last time allegedly - what can be said about this news other than this being more 'hollow' words from the Club ?? And the response from some is predictably :- .........' knock the system and criteria, and accuse of allsorts rather than see, yet again, as a Club failing'. The wake up call will come - eventually.
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Arthur added 15:11 - Jun 29 Don't know about this to be concerned or pleased. After a few years of not really trusting and decision makers at the club, tables have turned and I now have faith with ITFC both on and off the pitch. It's a very fine balance for an ambitious club with relatively modest resources to progress short and long term without taking big risks. Without knowing many details, I am comfortable that the right people are getting most of the big decisions right and trust they are doing this the right way. Getting the Academy right is obviously not only a big thing for the future but a statement of intent.

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