"Constant communication of progress with players
and parents in an agreed partnership"

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The Norwich City Academy has a number of initiatives in place to aid the development of our young players.

Below are a few examples of the areas we consider as our strengths:

TOURS
Players from Under 11 to Under 18 will have the opportunity to represent the Academy in the top European Tournaments. We believe our young players can learn a great deal from experiences such as these.

Tournaments provide the players with the chance to compete against some of the greatest European Clubs, all with different footballing cultures and the benefits of playing against these types of teams are enormous.

In a recent tournament in Holland one of our age groups thought they had entered qualifying for the Champions League when they saw they would be competing against teams from Bayern Munich, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and Bayer Leverkusen.

Norwich City have a great reputation in Europe and are usually invited to attend these tournaments rather than apply to take part ourselves. We have built up good relationships with a number of foreign teams and quite often play host to them during any tours they may have to England.

TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Our Under 9 to Under 12 players participate in an annual Team Building activity at Aylmerton Field Study Centre. This initiative provides a good grounding before the players travel away on tour.

The trip has many benefits, it allows the players to work with their coaches 24 hours a day away from home and they are able to mix with players of different age groups in fun-based surroundings.

The boys have daily football training sessions, then take part in team building activities and events which help to invoke leadership qualities and build confidence.

Our players look forward to these trips every year, they are enjoyable and informative and great for personal development.

INDUCTION NIGHTS
At the beginning of each season the Academy hold an Induction Night at the main Stadium at Carrow Road. Here the players receive their offical Academy clothing including Club tracksuit and training kit.

Boys also receive a comprehensive Information Pack and a certificate of attendance presented by a member of the first team squad.

PARENT WORKSHOPS
The Parent Workshops are another annual event which take place at Carrow Road. These meetings allow the Academy to pass on information and educate the parents with new initiatives and ideas the Club are looking to implement.

Topics covered in the sessions include the influence parents have on the performance of their sons, positive thinking and touchline behaviour.

The workshops also provide the parents with an opportunity to provide further feedback on various aspects of Academy life from a Parent's perspective, this information and advice is extremely welcome and helps us to run more efficiently and generally enhance our operation.

FACILITIES
The players at the Norwich City Academy enjoy facilities of the highest quality. Our state-of-the-art indoor arena, which measures 80 x 50 yards, enables our players to train all year round regardless of weather conditions.

Inside the arena, the latest speed, agility and quickness equipment can be found alongside numerous coaching tools such as various size goals, mannequins, slalom poles and much, much more.

The training ground itself houses three full size pitches, two intermediate size pitches and two small sided pitches, along with a dedicated goalkeeper training area and other training zones. The pitches are maintained to a very high standard by three full time ground staff.

GAMES PROGRAMME
As a member of the FA Premier League Academy programme, Norwich City compete each week in the Academy Games Programme against some of the country's biggest clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur etc.

On Saturday morning our Under 18 Youth Team compete in the southern section of the FA Premier Academy League, the winner of this section goes into the play-offs and Ultimately the final against the various section winners.

The under 15/16 combined squad mirror the Under 18's fixtures but in a non-competitive environment.On Sunday mornings the six junior Academy teams from under 9 to Under 14 play against the other Academy Clubs.

Three of these games will be played at the Colney training Centre, whilst the other three matches would take place at our opponents venues, once again in a non-competitive environment.

COACHING
There are a number of ingredients that must come together to produce a professional footballer.

At the Norwich City Academy we are very focused on the technical, tactical, physical and psychological factors that must be mastered to produce the player.

If you think of any top class international and measure them for these four qualities you will recognise that they posses them in abundance.

Talent or technique is the first attraction and this ability is what 'opens the door' into the Academy. From then on our system is geared up to address everything and give each boy the opportunity to maximise his potential.

Our technical Programme is structured to help develop players at every age group, and we have the experienced coaches in place to implement it, with the majority holding the UEFA 'A' licence.

Whether it is an Under 9 or an Under 14 joining us we can provide top class facilities and the best coaching to assist in their development.

In addition there is specialist provision for the goalkeepers. Supervised by First team goalkeeping coach James Hollman, the goalkeepers have two sessions a week of indivdual work.

As the boys progress their tactical awareness is developed to prepare them for football at the highest level. All of the information required is given at the appropriate time to improve every player's game intelligence.

Assuming more and more importance is the Psychological aspect of the Academy player's development.

In order for our coaches to give the best support and advice in this area we hold regular workshops throughout the season. We can therefore be sure that all our Academy players are learning how to deal with training, match preparation and lifestyle issues, including diet, in the best possible way.

It is only when the oldest Academy players are fifteen and sixteen that the focus turns to their Physical development.

In the younger groups this is monitored but allowed to happen naturally until they get closer to Scholarship age, when they are gradually introduced to light weights, but more importantly, instructed in the techniques of lifting them.

What we have tried to establish is a 'Football Factory' that produces football players of the highest possible standard with all the right ingredients. Dave Williams, Youth Team Manager/ Technical Director

"Our technical programme is structured to
help develop players at every age group"

EDUCATION & WELFARE
Norwich City Academy is very aware of the responsibility it has to ensure that every Academy player is continuing his progress at school as well as on the football pitch.

With the schoolboys, regular contact is made with the player's school to monitor academic progress.

The player's school is vital in the progress of the player and Norwich City take pride in the relationships built up with all the schools.

Once the player reaches scholarship age education is still taken seriously and all full-time scholars undertake 12 hours per week of formal study and appropriate courses are found for these boys.

As well as a scholars education his welfare becomes very prominent once he is at the club full-time, it is likely he will be living away from his family.

The Norwich based families that house the boys for the duration of the scholarship are invaluable to the club and this increasing number play a significant role in the scholar's development.

The academy is in constant contact with these families to ensure this system operates smoothly.

Norwich City Football Club treats child protection very seriously and our education and welfare officer is the registered child protection officer for the academy. This is a confidential point of contact for any issues that may arise.

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MEDICAL
In Order to maintain Academy status the medical team at Colney has to conform to strict FA child protection and medical guildlines.

These guidelines ensure that should the need arise during training or a match a player attending the Academy will have immediate access to either a chartered physiotherapist or a FA Diploma therapist.

The player must also have access to a club doctor when needed.We are very fortunate at the Academy to have a very motivated and well-educated team of medical specialists.

The team consisting of a doctor, chartered physiotherapists and sports therapists strives to provide yp to date treatment and rehabilitation by attending regular in-service training and external training courses. This ensures that medical care not only conforms to FA guidelines but also exceeds them.

Players needing medical intervention can expect to be treated with the same dignity and respect they should receive from their G.P. or hospital. Under no circumstances is a player's welfare or health compromised while he is a member of the Norwich City Academy.

"Under no circumstances is a
player's health or welfare compromised"

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SPONSORSHIP
Helping to secure the future with Norwich City Youth Academy"

To Provide the best possible opportunities for the best young players of East Anglia both on and off the pitch."

A perfect quote from Ricky Martin, the Academy Manager, which summarises the role of all the dedicated staff working for Norwich City Football Club Academy.

Off the pitch, we would like to give you the opportunity to become a sponsor of the club's vital youth development programme. A number of very successful schemes have been designed to directly benefit the funding of our youth system each year.

Membership offers excellent value for money and is an investment which will be reflected on the pitch.

On top of this we are very proud to be continuing out association with Freight Traders, the main Academy Sponsor. Their support and sponsorship is invaluable to the Club.

Managing Director Garry Mansell said "As a Norfolk company we have been searching since our foundation in 1999 for a local sponsorship opportunity that puts some value back into the local community.
The Norwich City Academy is the perfect fit for us.

To become an Academy Sponsor please contact myself on 01603 218745 or email me at jerry.goss@ncfc-canaries.co.uk

Kind Regards, Jeremy Goss

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F.O.N.C.Y
Back in 1996 when Norwich City Chief Executive Gordon Bennett invited me to form Friends of Norwich City Football Youth, neither of us could have imagined that almost a decade later FONCY would still be enjoying the overwhelming support from the fans, and that on the eve of our tenth birthday FONCY has raised a staggering sum in excess of £240,000.

That money has been raised by various means, auctions, raffles and donations from fans who know how important the Academy is to Norwich City Football Club.

The FONCY committee meet on a regular basis with Academy Manger Ricky Martin when we discuss various fund raising events and lend our support to the Academy by sponsoring a whole range of activities and purchasing equipment that will be used at the Colney Training Centre by the Academy.

Over the past decade FONCY has, through fantastic support from local companies, been able to sponsor all travel for the U18 side, and this season for the first time we have been in a position to sponsor travel for all six schoolboy teams.

Overseas tournaments have always featured high on our list of sponsorship and teams take part in Denmark, Holland, Germany, Belgium, and France on a regular basis. If you visit Colney then chances are you will see some equipment that we have purchased for the Academy, be it equipment for the indoor arena or the latest timing gates that have recently arrived from New Zealand.

Of course FONCY is not the only group to make regular donations to the Academy. Led by its enthusiastic Chairman Colin Tovell the Club's Ambassador's have donated £15,000 every year for the past nine years to the Academy, and while Norwich City Independent Supporters Association chaired by Roy Blower are not an out and out fund raising group, through their membership they make regular donations to the Academy.

If you would like to know more about FONCY then check out our website at www.foncy.co.uk

Friends Of Norwich City:

Youth Chairman: John Landamore
Vice Chairman: Roy Blower
Secretary: Kathy Landamore
Treasurer: Tony Sadler
Committee members: Phillip Baldwin, Richard Bland, Colin Tovell

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ADMINISTRATION
Communication is key within the Norwich City Football Academy, ensuring players and parents alike are kept fully updated with Academy events is vital.

Our Academy strives to provide accurate and current information to ensure our training and match programme runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Every player connected with the Academy, registered or trailing, is issued with a comprehensive information pack. This Pack provides details of every event arranged by us throughout the whole season. The pack also includes in depth information on all Academy football matters, such as our medical and physiotherapy timetable, matchday procedures for home and away fixtures, advice on eating healthily and much, much more.

We also provide details of every fixture along with maps, directions, pick up points and times allowing out players and parents to plan their time effectively. The Information Pack also provides details of Club Policies including Anti-Racism, Equal Opportunities, Anti Bulling and many more.

Every player signed by the Academy is issued with a Player and Parent Guide which is devised by the Football League. This lists important information such as complaints procedures as well as general contractual information.

As an Academy we are always looking to improve, we hold annual Parent Workshops where ideas are shared between Academy staff and our player's parents. Over the last few seasons a number of excellent initiative have been raised and implemented to aid communication and ultimately benefit the development of our young players.

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ACADEMY RECRUITMENT
An Academy Cannot function without players and finding those players is the responsibility of the recruitment department, This vital department employs two full-time officers. Colin Watts, Youth development officer and Terry Harvey, Youth Recruitment Officer.

The highly co-ordinated task of finding the best young talent does not only rely on the expertise of our full-time officers. The club has a structured network of scouts who assist in this process.

Scouting has advanced greatly in recent years and Norwich City scouts undertake formal training including the Football Association Talent Identification Qualification.

Recommendations of players come from all quarters and matches are covered at club, school, district, representative and county levels. Another key area of our recruitment strategy is our current partnership with Norwich City's Football in the Community Department (FITC). This is achieved via player development centres (PDC) that operate throughout the region.

FITC run the centres weekly and our youth development officer monitors the progress of the boys including inviting them to assessment sessions periodically at the Academy Training Centre. From the monitoring process there is every opportunity for boys to progress from the PDC to the Academy.

Our Recruitment department follows a Norwich City Academy philosophy when identifying the very best young talent. This Philosophy is based upon the guildlines below.Does the player show...

TECHNICAL ABILITY
Strength in control, passing, dribbling etc

ATHLETIC ABILITY
Strengths in speed, mobility, flexibility and balance.

PERSONALITY
Showing signs of brightness, enthusiasm and leadership.

INTELLIGENCE
Showing an understanding of the game and good decision making

EFFECTIVNESS
Making a significant impact in the game

X FACTOR - SHOWING THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL
The Club follows Football Association guidelines when inviting boys into the Academy for trial periods. A player will usually join in with his age group of existing Academy players. He will be involved in training and participate in Academy Matches.

When the Player has settled in and displays the Levels of performance required at Academy level he would be offered a contract with the club. Parents of new players often comment on how impressed they are by our commitment to create a friendly and comfortable environment for their son to impress.

The recruitment department is highly dedicated to the task of finding the future stars of Norwich City and we seek to create a welcoming and friendly environment for the new players to express themselves and flourish. We are building on an already excellent reputation for finding and developing talent and aim to continue these high standards. We take pride in our recruitment as we continue to seek the very best young talent available to us.

"We continue to seek the very
best young talent available to us"