Norwich City have today confirmed the club’s academy has maintained its Category One states for another three seasons, in a club statement today.
The club were first rewarded the elite status in 2012, following a long term period of investment and focus on developing the youth set up at Carrow Road, and improving infrastructure at the club’s Colney Training Centre.
It means Norwich’s Under 21, 18 and 16 sides will continue to face the very best youth teams in the country, despite the senior side being relegated out of the top flight.
Academy Manager Gregg Broughton said:
It’s been three years of hard work though, because you have to make sure that the Academy is being run to the standards required at Category One level, and that’s firmly tested as you go into the last year of the process.
The audit’s final report highlighted several key strengths of our Academy.
It also pointed to our ability to play Under-21s games at Carrow Road on a consistent basis in front of large crowds, so the fans themselves have to take some credit for that for turning out in the numbers that they do and hopefully they’ll continue to do that this coming season.
The commitment from the fans to youth teams was most clearly displayed in Norwich’s well-remembered 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Youth Cup final first leg, in front of a stunning crowd of 22’000.
This comes as a much welcomed piece of good news in an otherwise fairly bleak start to the new season.
