Huddersfield Town have no immediate aspiration to become a Category I academy club.
Town, who have parted company with academy manager Mark Lillis and are looking for a replacement, gained Category II status under the Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012.
It costs £1.5m a year to run the academy at PPG Canalside as it is (£1m comes from the club and the rest is grants) and the costs are significantly more at Category I level, because of the extra emphasis on education, welfare and facilities.
The big benefit of Town being at Category II is that they can recruit players from the age of eight – just like the Category I academy clubs.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
If a club is at Category III, the lowest age limit for signing is 12.
Town’s current status allows them to compete with Category I clubs for junior-school age players, which is important in the overall plan to improve.
Swansea City are the latest club to move up to Category I.
Premier League clubs at Category I in the north are Manchester City and United, Everton, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.
Category I clubs in the Championship for next season are Derby County, Reading, Norwich, Blackburn, Fulham, Newastle, Brighton and Wolves.
