Brentford Academy awarded Category One status | OneFootball

Brentford's Academy has been awarded Category One status by the Premier League following a thorough audit from the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC).

From the start of the 2026/27 season, the club’s Academy will operate at Category One level, the highest possible under the Elite Player Performance Plan. This standard has been reached just four years after the club reopened its Academy.

Brentford will compete in Premier League 2, the Under-21s league for the top academies in the country, and the Under-18s Premier League. Category One status enables access to a broader range of games programme opportunities for teams from Under-9s upwards

David Rainford, Brentford Academy director, said: “This is an important milestone for the Academy and a significant step for the club. It reflects the collective commitment, alignment and long-term investment from senior leadership, staff and departments across both the club and the Academy.

“Reaching this level in a relatively short period of time is a meaningful achievement, and a credit to the hard work, dedication and collaboration of the many people who have contributed to building and developing the Academy to this point.

“Category 1 status brings both increased opportunity and responsibility. It strengthens our ability to develop players capable of progressing to Brentford’s first team, while remaining firmly committed to an environment that supports the holistic development of players, encompassing performance, personal development, education and wellbeing.”

The club intends to continue to operate the Brentford B team, with its enhanced games programme including matches against some of Europe’s elite. This includes the annual Robert Rowan Invitation game, which, this year, will be held on Monday 18 May against Paris Saint-Germain Under-21s at Gtech Community Stadium