Following a recent audit from the Professional Game Academy Audit Board, Sunderland AFC’s Academy has been awarded Category One status, the highest classification for an Academy.
Academies are independently audited on a three-year cycle and given a category status of one to four, with one being the most elite. The audit is an intense process that forensically analyses every aspect of the Academy operation. A range of factors are considered in the grading, including productivity rates, training facilities, coaching, education, and welfare provisions.
The Club's maintenance of standards of excellence, opportunity pathways and player development has seen the Academy retain it's Category One status.
During the 2022-23 season, four academy graduates made first-team debuts including Chris Rigg setting a club record for being the youngest outfield player to feature for the first-team at 15 years and 203 days. Michael Spellman, Caden Kelly and Tommy Watson also featured for the first-team over the course of the campaign.
A number of players have gained first-team experience elsewhere through respective loan spells including Spellman, Ellis Taylor, Harry Gardiner, Connor Pye and Thomas Chiabi.
Meanwhile, the Under-18's side narrowly missed out on the Premier League title earning a second place finish in the division.
Academy Manager Robin Nicholls said: "This is fantastic news for the Academy and evidence of the great work that has been put in by the staff over the past few seasons. Youth development has long been part of this Club's history. From six of the starting 11 in the 1973 FA Cup final winning team being from our own youth system, all the way back to local products Bobby Gurney to Raich Carter being joint top scorers with 31 league goals each during the 1936 League title winning team, we have a proud tradition of producing players from within.
"Our Academy are twice FA Youth Cup winners and have enjoyed more recent success with both Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford playing pivotal roles in the current success of the England National Team. In the current crop of Academy players for the 2022-23 season, along with the four first-team debuts we have also had eight players chosen to represent their national countries at youth level. Retaining EPPP Category One status ensures our place as one of the top youth development enviornments across the country and retains the opportunity for our staff and players to have access to the very best programme that is on offer from the Premier and EFL."