Significant update emerges regarding Birmingham City’s academy | OneFootball

Birmingham City could be set to lose their ‘Category 1’ academy status this week, as per The Athletic.

The Athletic report that despite the Premier League having no plans to cap the number of teams who hold ‘Category 1’ status, Birmingham City could be one of the teams set to lose theirs after a recent audit revealed several shortcomings.

Although it is believed that the Blues challenged some of the findings of the audit and were hopeful of a solution that would not see them lose their ‘Category 1’ status, The Athletic report that the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) have recommended to the Professional Game Board that the club’s academy status be downgraded to ‘Category 2’.

In the same article, The Athletic revealed that the Professional Game Board are set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the recommendation and following the meeting, the club will find out their fate.

The Athletic also say that the Blues are fearing the worst from the meeting, and have scheduled meetings with representatives of academy players for Thursday in order to discuss things moving forward.

Quiz: 24 facts every Birmingham City supporter should know about their club – Can you score full marks?

In recent years, the most notable name to come through the Blues’ academy is Borussia Dortmund midfielder and England international Jude Bellingham.

The Verdict

This could be a huge blow for the Championship club.

With the way academy system is currently set up in this country, having ‘Category 1’ status is imperative if you want to keep hold of your best young players and the Blues could be set to lose that.

One example of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) working against a non-Category 1 club is the case of Jadon Sancho at Watford.

Sancho was discovered by the Hornets and rose through the age brackets at the club but was eventually signed by Manchester City in 2015.

Due to their superior academy status, Watford were ‘Category 3’ at the time and City ‘Category 1’, the Manchester club were only required to pay a modest fee for the now Manchester United and England player, as set out in the EPPP, rather than the value Watford placed on him.

If Blues lose their ‘Category 1’ status this week, they could be exposed to a similar situation in the coming years.