Wrexham gets boost from club’s academy upgrade

Wrexham were awarded Category Three Academy status after the club was given extra time to bring the facilities up to the required standard.

The decision is a huge boost for the Welsh club, which has committed to building a new, multi-million pound facility for its youth section at Darland High School in nearby Rossett.

After Wrexham was granted the license provisionally for an initial period of 12 months, the club can now field teams of all age groups from U9 upwards in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Had Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s club remained in Category Four, it would only have been able to operate at U17 level and above.

Wrexham chairman Michael Williamson said: “The co-chairmen have set out their ambition to create a sustainable football club and investing in the academy training facilities and achieving Category Three status is certainly an important milestone on the way to this goal.”

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As is standard practice when awarding new academy licences, Wrexham’s structure will be reassessed after the initial 12-month period and, if successful, a three-year licence is likely to be awarded.

Wrexham returned to the EFL in 2023 and plan to spend the first year as a fourth-tier youth team before seeking promotion again this summer.

A four-day inspection by the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) in the spring highlighted the additional work required to meet Category Three criteria.

Earlier this month, an agreement was signed with Darland School to build a facility that will include five playing fields of varying sizes, as well as changing rooms, toilets, offices, analysis rooms and a classroom – all of which fall under the Category Three criteria.

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