Ipswich Town Football Club is currently engaged in the process of

establishing a sustainable business model that will deliver

improved standards for the supporters, commercial partners and

local community through investment across the whole Football Club.

Youth development is part of this strategy and the carefully managed

process of investing in homegrown talent aims to stabilise, strengthen

and ultimately grow the Club’s fortunes and reputation both on and off the

field of play.

From the First-Team ManagerPlaying attractive, attacking, exciting

football and winning matches is what first-team football is all about.

The production line of young players coming through the Academy,

capable of performing at the highest level of competitive football,

is key to producing a winning team with a winning mentality.

With this in mind: an enhanced Academy investment can only be good

for the future playing resources of the Club. Ipswich Town has a great

history and tradition of unearthing talented young players and I hope to

be able to work with the next generation of starlets as we all strive to

return to the Premier League through winning ways.

Mick McCarthy

From the Academy Manager Our goal at the Ipswich Town Academy

is very simple; we want to offer the best players in this region the opportunity

to develop into top class footballers and play for a great club.

I believe that in order to achieve this goal Ipswich Town must have a

Category one Academy. The benefits are listed below:

• Improved games programme – Matches against Premiership opposition including Chelsea, Arsenal & Spurs etc. Plus various International Academy games
• Increased access to players – more coaching hours at all age groups
• National Recruitment – not limited to recruiting players from only our area, plus additional safeguarding of our best players from other Cat One Clubs.
• Increased staffing and full time Sports Science and Match Analyst department.
• Additional facilities and Education Programme for up to U21 level.
• ITFC Academy will be back in line with our two closest Cat One rivals – West Ham and Norwich. It will also help us to continue to compete with the other Cat One clubs for the players from Ireland and Europe.

The coming season marks the start of a new era and the Academy has

devised a five year plan which includes

• Improvement of  facilities and equipment at the Academy on the Playford Road site
• Attract best players in the region by being a Category One Academy
• Widening our recruitment area with links to International teams and Scouts
• To develop players capable of playing regular 1st team football for ITFC in the FAPL or, if unsuccessful, who would command a transfer fee from clubs playing in the Football League.
• Maximize number of ‘home grown’ players at 1st team level (to an optimum of 50% of the 1st team by 2017-18.)
• Deliver an improved sports science and match/player analysis programme
• Conduct player/match analysis of all games at all age groups
• Improve standard of coaching by developing highly qualified staff
• Take part in European Tours so players are aware of continental styles of football.

Having returned to Ipswich, I am confident that by implementing this five

year plan Ipswich Town will once again have one of the best Youth Academies

in England.