Crystal Palace granted Category One academy status following £20million investment

Crystal Palace have been granted Category One academy status following the £20million investment in their development site.

Palace chairman Steve Parish has been working towards the award of the status from the Premier League - which moves the club into the top tier of academies in the country and will allow them to compete for the best talent in the capital - for a number of years.

Earlier this season Parish detailed investment in the academy as one of the pillars of his three-year-plan for the club. Work on the academy site, which started after planning permission was granted last month, is expected to be completed by the end of next summer.

"Achieving Category One status is the culmination of an immense amount of hard work from our staff, and it is an incredible achievement in such a short space of time since securing the land and planning permission," said Parish.

"Our ambition is to have one of the country’s leading football academies to capitalise on the hotbed of footballing talent in south London. The investment in the playing facilities, education offering and player care provision will enable us to attract and develop the next generation of Wilfried Zahas and Aaron Wan-Bissakas.

"Furthermore, we are committed to having a transformational impact on the lives of the wider community and especially the 200 plus boys that are directly in our care at any one time, whether they make it to the professional ranks or not.

"The whole Academy site will also be widely used by the club to enhance our presence in the community – not just the playing facilities. We are looking at ways we can positively affect the lives of young people using the education facilities for job training and further education.

"I would finally like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of our supporters who have already generously committed to becoming Academy Founder Members, helping us further enhance this magnificent project for the benefit of our young players for years to come."