Morecambe's restructuring plan as club will continue to operate an academy set-up
Morecambe have confirmed plans to keep open the club’s academy following relegation to National League North – but changes will be on the way.
While the Shrimps have announced that the academy remains a key part of the club’s set-up, ‘a restructuring process’ will be taking place as a result of significant grant funding cuts.
A club statement said that, following relegation from League Two last year and this season’s bottom-four finish in the National League top flight, Morecambe no longer meets the EFL’s criteria for continuing to operate with a category three licence under the Elite Player Performance Plan (“EPPP”) rules.
Under those rules, category three academies function from U9 level upwards with Morecambe’s academy having had EFL grant funding of more than £500,000 this season.
Had the Shrimps been able to retain a category three licence, that funding would have been reduced by half.
The club is now applying for a category four licence, operating from U17 level upwards, where available EFL grant funding is fewer than £100,000.
Morecambe’s chief operating officer, Steve Dewsnip, said: “The club remains totally committed to developing talented young footballers within our academy programmes and to providing aspiring young footballers from our region with the opportunity to represent Morecambe FC.
“However, under current EPPP rules, any club relegated from the EFL can only operate a licenced academy of any category for a maximum of two seasons outside of the EFL.
“This restructuring will enable us to put the foundations in place now to maintain and expand our academy again in the future, irrespective of which league our first team is playing in.”
It does mean that the club cannot offer new full-time paid scholarships but, instead, it will provide a full-time BTEC education course as part of a full-time academy programme from the U17 age group and up.
In terms of the U16 age groups and younger, it is intended that the club maintains and expands a development centre: albeit on a pay-to-play basis to ensure that the development centre becomes fully self-funded.
Morecambe added that academy players’ parents and staff were briefed of these changes on Thursday evening.
Further details of the academy programmes will be issued over the coming weeks, including details of trials to join the academy for next season.