Town have confirmed that the academy has been awarded category one status.
The Blues announced their intention to move from category two, the level they have been operating since the introduction of the EPPP [Elite Player Performance Plan] in 2012, to category one in March last year following the investment from Bright Path Sports Partners.
Having been audited by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC), Town’s Playford Road set-up met all the requirements - the Blues having added to their staff over the last year - and will operate at Category One level from the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
Town have become the 29th category one club with Birmingham City and Burnley also elevated from category two this summer.
The Blues’ U21s, coached by John McGreal and Chris Casement, will play at Premier League 2 and the U18s, run by David Wright and Matt Pooley, in the U18 Premier League next season, facing academy sides from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, rather than clubs largely from outside the Premier League as was the case in category two’s Professional Development League Two South.
"This is an important step forward for the club,” Town chairman and CEO Mark Ashton said.
"Since we arrived in 2021 we have consistently said we would look to move the academy to category one status when the time is right.
"We’re delighted to have now achieved that and this is testament to the hard work of Dmitri Halajko [academy director], his team, and all at the club.
"Moving to category one gives us the best chance of recruiting, developing, and retaining the best young players, aided by an elite-level games programme.
"This status, as well as the significant and ongoing investment in industry-leading facilities at Playford Road, is an exciting step for the cademy as we continue to grow all areas of the club.”
Academy director Dmitri Halajko added: "To gain category one status from the Premier League is a huge achievement which puts Ipswich Town in the top bracket for youth development in this country.
"Staff at the club have worked incredibly hard to achieve this status, which will help us recruit, retain, and develop better young players with the ultimate aim of helping them progress to our first team.
"For our young players to now have the opportunity to play against the best teams in the country week in and week out is an extremely positive step which will stretch and develop every player and help them reach their highest possible level.”
Town, who are in the process of upgrading their training ground, previously applied for category one status in the summer of 2014 but missed out by 0.3 per cent in the audit with the lack of players having come through into the first team in the immediately preceding years among the factors.
Since then, the requirements both from a facilities and staffing perspective have moved on significantly.