Post by Finnish Gas on Jun 6, 2014 18:22:56 GMT
Torquay United to clinch £200,000 Premier League funding
By Herald Express | Posted: June 03, 2014
TORQUAY United are poised to clinch much-needed ‘Category Three’ status for their youth Academy, which will be worth more than £200,000 in Premier League funding.
Despite being relegated to the Conference at the end of last season, the Gulls cranked improvement work at their Seale Hayne training ground near Newton Abbot into overdrive and went ahead with a four-day ‘exam’ of their Academy and facilities last month.
They had to convince the independent ‘auditors’, appointed by the Premier League-funded Elite Premier Performance Plan (EPPP), that they merited ‘Cat3’ status, and now that commitment is on the verge of paying off.
“We have been put forward for Category Three status, and proud is not a big enough word to describe how I and everyone at the club feels,” said United’s Head of Youth Geoff Harrop, adding that the recommendation will now go forward to the Professional Game Board for ratification next week.
“It’s the best news that we could have asked for.
“We have to go through the recommendations that have been put forward to Torquay United, which are all achievable,” said Harrop.
“It’s also an opportunity for us to question anything that’s part of the audit (report) and show evidence of what we do.
“But it’s all positive.
“We’ve all been worried, with people wary of job security. But this gives us some breathing space to really push on.”
Harrop, who managed United’s first team in a 1-1 draw with Morecambe in between the sacking of Alan Knill and the appointment of Chris Hargreaves midway through last season, paid tribute to the hard work put in at all levels of the club, saying: “I am really pleased for the staff, because it’s been a tough year for us, on and off the pitch.”
The range of Academy ‘categories’ demand different levels of commitment from clubs in return for different scales of Premier League funding.
But under Cat3, United’s board agree to contribute more than £100,000, to be doubled by £200,000 from the PL.
Read more at www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/Torquay-United-clinch-200-000-Premier-League/story-21180927-detail/story.html
By Herald Express | Posted: June 03, 2014
TORQUAY United are poised to clinch much-needed ‘Category Three’ status for their youth Academy, which will be worth more than £200,000 in Premier League funding.
Despite being relegated to the Conference at the end of last season, the Gulls cranked improvement work at their Seale Hayne training ground near Newton Abbot into overdrive and went ahead with a four-day ‘exam’ of their Academy and facilities last month.
They had to convince the independent ‘auditors’, appointed by the Premier League-funded Elite Premier Performance Plan (EPPP), that they merited ‘Cat3’ status, and now that commitment is on the verge of paying off.
“We have been put forward for Category Three status, and proud is not a big enough word to describe how I and everyone at the club feels,” said United’s Head of Youth Geoff Harrop, adding that the recommendation will now go forward to the Professional Game Board for ratification next week.
“It’s the best news that we could have asked for.
“We have to go through the recommendations that have been put forward to Torquay United, which are all achievable,” said Harrop.
“It’s also an opportunity for us to question anything that’s part of the audit (report) and show evidence of what we do.
“But it’s all positive.
“We’ve all been worried, with people wary of job security. But this gives us some breathing space to really push on.”
Harrop, who managed United’s first team in a 1-1 draw with Morecambe in between the sacking of Alan Knill and the appointment of Chris Hargreaves midway through last season, paid tribute to the hard work put in at all levels of the club, saying: “I am really pleased for the staff, because it’s been a tough year for us, on and off the pitch.”
The range of Academy ‘categories’ demand different levels of commitment from clubs in return for different scales of Premier League funding.
But under Cat3, United’s board agree to contribute more than £100,000, to be doubled by £200,000 from the PL.
Read more at www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/Torquay-United-clinch-200-000-Premier-League/story-21180927-detail/story.html
