We have more newsletters. Burnley hope their newly acquired category one Academy status can help them attract better players and develop future first team stars. The Clarets were given the top rating over the summer, meaning they step up into Premier League 2 Division 2 for the new Under season. That means games against established leading academies such as Newcastle United and Aston Villa and while it might be a tough season on the pitch given Burnley are expected to field a young team most weeks, the club believe the long-term benefits will help the Clarets for years to come.
Producing the next Dwight McNeil is no easy task but Academy manager Jon Pepper believes the step up in quality for the young Clarets will boost their development and help them make the leap to the senior squad. A host of youngsters were involved with the first team in the closing stages of last season - in part through necessity - and Max Thompson was handed his debut as a late sub at Manchester City.
The likes of Bobby Thomas and Lewis Richardson have featured in pre-season and the club has high hopes for a number of the players who helped Burnley reach the last eight of the FA Youth Cup this season. The Under campaign will be the first step on that journey - the result of investment and plenty of hard work behind the scenes - with the Clarets having climbed two categories since the season.
And for Pepper, it is now about reaping the benefits for the effort which has led them to this point. When Dwight entered the Under 23s, for months they didn't win a game but they got better and better and stronger and stronger. The Unders were certainly a confident group last season, going unbeaten in the first half of the Professional Development Campaign before a host of youngsters left on loan, and running Manchester City close in the FA Youth Cup.
City are in the top tier of Premier League 2 but the aim for Burnley is to be competing against the best and the brightest talents in the country. Keeping the top players will be key, as will being able to recruit them in the first place given the level of competition in the north west with City, Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool all in the region. They want to play at the highest level and they might drop out of the likes of those clubs and then choose to come to us because they can play at the highest level.
