Ipswich Town Ist, the Town Supporters Trust, have called on the club to "put Town’s Academy first" and confirm that they will be opting for Category One status. The Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which was ratified in October, although with Town voting against it, means Championship clubs will have to decide whether they opt for Category One or the cheaper, lower status Category Two.

In a statement on the issue, the Trust said: “The club has thrown millions at a ‘quick fix solution’ to gain access to the Premier League that has shown no signs of working at this time.

"It would be unthinkable for the vast majority of fans to see that the current guardians of the club are interested in sending out signals that they are interested in the short-term, but not the long-term.

“Over the years our Academy has been first class — it is the one area of the club where we should never accept being second rate. So, we appeal to Marcus Evans, Simon Clegg, Paul Jewell and anyone else involved in this decision to Put Ipswich Town’s Academy First for the present and the future.”

Writing on Twitter, former Blue Shane Supple has backed the call: "Great to see the Town Supporters Trust putting pressure on the club to go for a Category One status academy, it is crucial for ITFC's future."

The Trust has also outlined a number of questions it would like the club to answer regarding Town's current position on and off the field, which can be found here.

Photo: Action Images

Chris_ITFC added 20:39 - Jan 5 Hear, hear.
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runaround added 20:42 - Jan 5 The club just HAS to go for a Category one academy. They seem disinterested in youth right now but for a club of our size its vital. I know rule changes no longer mean we can scour the whole country for the best talent as we did under Robson but Category One gives us the best chance to compete with the richer and better geographically positioned clubs
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itfc1981 added 20:42 - Jan 5 Category One status is the only option if Marcus Evans has any ambition.
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Mark added 20:43 - Jan 5 I totally agree with them, and think this is very very important. It will be a massive disappointment if the club do not go for a category one academy. The fans want a long-term approach, and the investment in youth is the key part of that. I am worried we are being softened up for bad news on this. As for Ipswich Town First, it's good there are some updates on their website finally as I thought they were a dormant organisation. After my £10 membership fee was taken this year I emailed the addresses on the website and they all bounced back undeliverable!

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IvorFeeling added 20:44 - Jan 5 This decision and the ramifications of it will be felt long after PJ and maybe the other 2(!) have gone. If not category one we may as well turn the lights off now.
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xrayspecs added 21:00 - Jan 5 In the last ten years, just how many Premiership or Championship level players have our Academy produced? Ambrose, Bent, Wickham (who only came here because his Dad relocated to the area), Rhodes (ditto), Trotter, Billy Clarke possibly although jury out. Not much return over ten years is it? To be clear, I am not arguing for us to dumb down to level 2, more that we should challenge the perception that we have a vibrant Academy. All but a few have failed to make it at Champ level or higher in the last decade.

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Crazee added 21:05 - Jan 5 I wish the trust were running our poor club rather than the bunch of cowboys we have the helm at this moment
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Tractorboy24 added 21:18 - Jan 5 I agree with the sentiment wrt the academy, but wonder if the questions which have been set by the supporters trust has been compiled by a group of supporters, or if it just questions 1 fan in a privileged position has?
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shaunminx added 21:32 - Jan 5 Is there a class three or four maybe five because you can guarantee the fools that are running this club right now will go for the lowest most cost effective option they can go for. Oh a few names have been mentioned today so everyone is waiting for the new signings and everything will be rosey again! Get real people. Clegg Evens Jewell have brought nothing but shame on this club of ours. We were doing better when we never had a pot to piddle in!

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RegencyBlue added 21:45 - Jan 5 I wonder what Liz Edwards and the Supporters Club think? Oh, silly me. That would involve possibly criticising those running the Club and that would never do!!!
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FornhamBlue added 21:48 - Jan 5 If our Club had a long-term view on the academy would they have allowed Bryan Klug to leave a couple of seasons back? Maybe they'll see it differently now - investing in the academy as a way to pacify supporters at this time.
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Moscow_Blue added 23:07 - Jan 5 My understanding is that Norwich will be going for Category 1 status, so it is inconceivable that we do not. Also, it is only Category 1 Clubs who will be able to attract players from outsude the region which, in my view, is essential. There is business model that some of us have shown interest in that could mean private investment in a Category 1 Ipswich Town Academy that serves the best needs of the Club; we just need the opportunity to broach the subject with the Club owner if he believes that a lower Category is appropriate.

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blrmy added 07:31 - Jan 6 To attract young talent we must go for Cat 1, simple. More expenses, but a wise investment.
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Mungo added 08:42 - Jan 6 What exactly is the difference? Very easy to say its clearly a choice of category 1, but unless there is clearly a benefit to it, not much point paying the extra for 'status' or 'because Norwich have.' The decision has to be based on value for money... And those suggesting that the people running the club are 'cheap' are wrong. They have invested huge amounts of money in over-rated players who have let us all down in one way or another...

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itfc1981 added 09:04 - Jan 6 Mungo http://www.twtd.co.uk/news.php?storyid=19705 Plus you should gain access to Prem resers league, so its wort it for that reason
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SouperJim added 10:31 - Jan 6 This club is totally out of touch with the fanbase and the sitting on the fence over academy status is just the latest PR disaster. About time Mr Clegg extended his involvement with the fans beyond using the official sycophants club as his mouthpiece.
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Cobbold_Youth added 15:49 - Jan 6 I'm delighted that the Trust has spoken out about this and agree 100% that investment in our Academy is essential as is Cat 1 status. I also fear the club propaganda machine is preparing us for a Cat 2 decision. We, as fans, must lobby, campaign and petition the Clegg, Evans and the club to opt for Cat 1. We also need to be able to demonstrate that it makes sense financially as this seems to be the only language that Clegg understands (certainly not football). This action needs to be coordinated and organised in order to be effective and convincing. If anyone needs inspiration of what fans can achieve, read 'Build a Bonfire' chronicling the fans' battle to save Brighton FC. We need to get more militant and have more influence on how OUR club is run. We all have a stake whether as a long distance fan or a season ticket regular. Let's start to have an influence on decisions!

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chorltonskylineblue added 21:43 - Jan 7 I don't get the comment about the return on investment above. unless i misunderstood, the spend per annum for Cat 2 is £750K and Cat 1 is £1.5m. I read a while ago that the Academy costs about £1m per annum to run. Selling Wickham alone would nearly justify 10 years' worth of investment! Let alone the several million Bent, Ambrose and Rhodes brought in. But that's not the point. The point of an Acdemy is to produce 1st team players. You just hope that for those you have to sell you get a decent wedge to plough back into the club. For a club of our size to have won the FA Youth Cup in recent memory is impressive. Investing in youth doesn't seem to have done Southampton any harm. They've sold two of the most expensive teenagers ever in this country and are still topping the table with the re-investment in players. Anyone who thinks the money is better off spent on ex-Premier stars is off their rocker.

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