Town MD Ian Milne says the Blues are still to learn what they will have to do in order to upgrade the academy to Category One status. After missing out by 0.3 per cent last year, the club remains committed to making the step up at the earliest possible opportunity but with the Premier League having carried out a review of the qualification criteria.
"The thing about the category thing at the moment is that the Premier League is still messing around with the rules,” Milne told TWTD.
"We’re still waiting for the final ones to come out. Why it’s a bit difficult is that I think we’re the only Category Two club that are applying for Category One, so they haven’t actually set down the rules.
"I think it’s unlikely it will happen until next year but at the moment, and this is from Marcus, we’re still getting the wherewithal [together] to apply for Category One, it’s all systems go at the soonest possible moment.”
He added: "It is annoying, everybody agrees with the EPPP, it’s a great system but it’s just the way they’re trying to bring the rules together is very frustrating. They keep tampering with them.”
Despite not having been Category One, Milne points out that the likes of Teddy Bishop and Matt Clarke have progressed through from the academy this season with others expected to make the step-up in the next few seasons.
"Having said all that, people may say, ‘But hold on, you’re still producing the players whatever category you’re in’.”
Milne confirmed that owner Marcus Evans is funding the academy as if it was Category One, despite the club not receiving the grants which come with the higher status.
"It’s about another £1 million,” he added. "It’s a sizeable outlay, although that’s outside Financial Fair Play, but it’s still money out of his pocket at the end of the day.”