Forest Green Rovers, one of only two National League teams with a youth academy (EFL Category 3 level), has taken the tough decision to reduce the scope of the FGR Academy – costs have become unsustainable, standing at over £1 million per year.
The FGR Academy will continue to operate squads for U15s, U16s and the U18 Scholarship Programme: the flagship of the academy, where players undertake a two-year football apprenticeship. But it will be dropping the U9s to U14s programmes.
FGR Chairman Dale Vince OBE said: “This was a tough decision because I love what we do at the Academy – but the fact is, at over £1m per year, it’s unsustainable for a club our size.
“So we’re reducing the scope of the Academy, but we’ll continue to fund the U15s, U16s, and U18 squads – that’s good news. FGR is one of just two clubs in the National League that offer academy-standard opportunities to nurture local talent, and that’s going to continue on a smaller scale.
“We’re talking to the staff from the Academy to offer the support and assistance that we can, and we’ll be meeting the parents to explain the situation.”
