I’m not sure you fully understand the intricacies of how the academy system works.
Our academy, at category three, has not been fit for purpose at the level we are at. Being category three has made it impossible to hang onto our best young players as they progress through the ranks. Any player who was on our books who had the potential to develop into a top flight talent will have been poached by a higher category academy long before the age of eighteen. We still have an academy fit for a league one team, hence why the players we have been producing have been league one level or below players. The young players we have had step up from the development squad all came up through category one academies and then we picked them up post eighteen once they were released.
You are actually part right, it is pointless us retaining our academy while it remains category three. It would serve next to no purpose and would just be a drain on resources. However the club have clearly outlined plans to upgrade us to category two and then in the future hopefully category three. That is when you will see us producing players who are able to potentially step up and play at this level. Right now it just isn’t realistic.
www.afcb.co.uk
