Blues in the Category to be ONE of the best

Interim CEO Jeremy Dale says regaining Category One status is landmark moment for Blues

- By ALEX DICKEN

BLUES have confirmed their academy has been upgraded to Category One status.

Chairman Tom Wagner revealed the news at Sunday's awards ceremony and Blues have now acknowledged it on their official channels.

The club's academy was stripped of Category One status in 2022 but it has now been reinstated following an audit by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company, meaning it will compete at the highest level of youth football in the country.

This will allow Blues to attract the best youth prospects in the area and provide the best coaching and education in the country. Restoring Blues to Category One was among Knighthead’s goals when they took control of the club in 2023.

Interim CEO Jeremy Dale said: “This is a landmark moment. For the club to achieve its ambition of competing at the highest levels of the game we need our academy to be regularly attracting and developing the top young players from the outstanding talent pool in and around Birmingham, and further afield.