Category Two status is a 'prime ambition' for Luton Town's academy chief

Luton Town Academy & Development manager Andy Awford’s 'prime ambition' is to make sure that the club’s application for their academy to achieve Category Two status goes through for next season.

Back in June the Hatters reported that plans to ​progress to EPPP Category 2 status had been accepted, subject to increased facilities being built at The Brache, whilst also ‘enhancing the current staff model and improving their programme of work.’

If successful, it would see Luton’s U21s side invited to join the Premier League’s U23 development games programme, which manager Nathan Jones believes could help them keep hold of future talented youngsters like Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis, who both opted to left Town's academy as teenagers.

Although the coronavirus pandemic meant that the full compliance audit couldn't go ahead, speaking to the Luton News recently, Awford confirmed he will be doing everything he can to make sure Luton achieve their goal, saying: “We were a little bit disappointed we didn’t get the Category Two application over the line last season.

“Hopefully we can get that sorted for next season and if we do which is a prime ambition for the academy then we would automatically go into the U23s league programme.

“Then we just need a group, so the hard work has been put in to try and grow that group, not just quantity, you need quality as well.

“We’ve trialled a lot of players in the games this year, we’ve had a really good varied games programme, which I think is really important for the boys.

“We’ve played Conference South teams, we’ve played Conference National teams, we’ve played other U21s, U23s.

“We’ve played Cat Ones, we’ve played Cat Threes, we’ve played a variety of games right across the board to give the boys a rich experience in that respect.

“It has been really good and it’s basically been a real good focus to be able to try and get us ready to be competitive in that league next year.

“Some of the 18s have stepped up into those games as well and had a real good experience and been tested, which has been good for them.

"That’s one reason, the other reason is to extend the category a little bit.

“The jump from U18s to the first team which is now a Championship club and hopefully we can establish ourselves as a Championship club for a few more seasons moving forward, the jump is bigger now, from U18s to League Two when I first joined.

"So we needed that extension of pathway in the programme to give the players that little bit more time to develop with us.

"To enable them to make that jump a little bit more fluid, then the transition needs to be a bit more fluid.

“So that’s what we tried to do and that’s part of the reason for wanting to go into Category Two level as well.

“There has been a little bit of an emphasis on that 21s group.

“It’s in its infancy, it’s developing, it’s progressing and it will continue to grow year on year.

“Then hopefully we can get it to the point where we’re really satisfied with it and it’s working, that’s the plan.”

To achieve Category Two status, the Hatters need to have an indoor sports dome built to stage their Premier League’s U23 development games programme

Back in October, Luton Borough Council passed the club’s application for the facility to be built on a playing field off Cutenhoe Road, however the lease was then subsequently turned down by councillors, with a decision still due at a future meeting of the Executive.

Awford plans to use the delay to ensure the club are fully ready when the green light is hopefully given though, adding: "We were all frustrated and disappointed at the time, but the club know and I know that we did absolutely everything we could to get it over the line and we were beaten by time in the end.

“In hindsight the extra year that we’ve had we can use that productively to make the transition even smoother, so next season when we hopefully get it over the line, the staff are ready, not just academy staff, everyone is pushing towards that goal and that is something we want to sort out.

"Having the year, knowing we're going to go Category Two next season hopefully, can give us a little bit of a headstart than we would have last season.

“It’s not cast iron that it will happen, there's still hurdles to get over and still barriers to break down.

"It's important we recognise that, it's not a gimme that's going to happen, it’s a huge investment.

"The football club and the support has been amazing, there’s a huge investment required in monetary terms, but also in people's time and energy and work and there's a lot to do.

"That's what we’re aiming for, so we're really grateful for all the support that we've had to get it over the line and hopefully we can do that."