What is the Academy?

THE appointment of Howard Wilkinson as the FA Technical Director of Football a decade ago signalled a determination to completely restructure youth development in this country.

With this in mind, Barnsley Football Club began to examine what we were doing here at Oakwell. It was obvious that the facilities were inadequate, the time given over to coaching needed extending and the quality of the young players coming into the Youth Development Department needed improving.

This was partially resolved in the late 1990s with the hiring of the Dorothy Hyman Stadium, the doubling of the coaching time and the formation of the coaching and assessment centres. Initially it was felt that we could not afford to have an Academy at Oakwell, but as we journeyed back from the first meeting called by Howard Wilkinson in Leicester, we realised that we could not afford to miss out.

The former Co-Operative ground behind Oakwell was purchased and money was made available from City Challenge Funding.

The results are there for all to see. Our facilities are magnificent with a full size astro turf, four full sized grass pitches, one small sized pitch - all floodlit to a very high standard and a small astro turf. The North Stand was completed in the summer of 1999 and provides a permenant home for the Academy. It incorporates all the changing facilities, offices, gymnasium, physiotherapy room, class rooms, parents lounge and catering facilities.

The facilities are second to none.

The Academy criteria also insist upon certain staffing levels and a management structure.  The Academy runs teams in every age group from Under 9 to Under 16 plus an Under 18 side. Academies are only allowed to play against each other and the number of games is limited.

We already have a wealth of young players coming through but the search for better ones will be relentless.  At the age of 16 scholarships will be awarded to those who merit them and this will guarantee an opportunity to become a professional footballer and an education to suit their capabilities. The Academy guarantees a quality experience for all its young players but their commitment must be total.

The Barnsley Football Club Academy has a vital role to play in the community in conjunction with the Football In The Community scheme and support will be given where possible both with the regards to facilities and coaching to schools, local clubs and associations. 

But above all, the Academy has to produce a steady stream of young players capable of stepping into the first team as early as possible.

The most recent addition to the Barnsley Football Club Academy Complex is a state-of-the-art indoor training facility, completed in June 2001. The building cost £1m and will provide the club with an unbelievable new option for its training regime.  The playing surface is 60m x 40m and made of Real Turf - the most realistic synthetic surface available. It was imported from Canada and is identical to the surface at Barcelona's training facilities. A delegation from Oakwell visited the Catalan giants in 2000 to see first hand what the surface was like in action.