BIRMINGHAM CITY have appointed Mike Rigg to the new role of Academy Technical Director as they bid to return to Category One status by the start of the 2025/26 season.

Natasha Patel is Assistant Academy Director at Southampton and one of the most experienced women working in men's professional football. In Episode #64 of the TGG Podcast, in association with Hudl, she outlined her journey in football, how analysis has evolved and her experiences on either side of the Atlantic.

FORMER Aston Villa full-back Alan Wright has left Manchester City’s Academy after a decade. The 52-year-old coached City’s Under-16s and has now joined Harwick Sports Management,

LIVERPOOL’S Martin Diggle has been appointed as the new Academy Manager at Leeds United. Diggle has worked for Liverpool for almost five years as their Head of Coach Development, supporting the coaches across their Academy.

BOURNEMOUTH’S new indoor dome has opened, completing phase one of their training ground redevelopment and ensuring they are now Category Two compliant.

SOUTHAMPTON have undertaken a huge restructure and restaffing of their Category One Academy aimed at building a “world-leading development programme for players and staff.”

A United Celebration was an awards ceremony with a difference, with the club's youth players recognised for their achievements as people as well as players.

IT'S no coincidence that more than a quarter of the England squad grew up playing cage football. West Brom Foundation Phase Lead Kieran Squire has found formats like cage, panna, MUGA and street football massively beneficial and here he explains why.

NEW Manchester City Academy Director Thomas Krucken says his job is to develop the ‘player of the future.’ The German succeeded Jason Wilcox as City’s Academy boss in August last year, having previously been Stuttgart's Head of Youth Development.

FORMER Tottenham Academy Manager Dean Rastrick has joined the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) as a Leadership and Management Auditor.

READING have sent redundancy letters to between 17 and 20 staff this week, with more than a third of them working in the Academy, TGG understands.

LEE SKYRME has left Southampton after almost three years as the club abandon the model of Game Coach and Individual Development Coach introduced by Matt Crocker.