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Understanding the Elite Player Performance Plan: A Breakdown of Football Academy Categories
The Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) was introduced by the Premier League in 2012 to enhance both club and international football. This plan categorizes football academies into four levels: Category One represents the most elite academies, which have significant resources, including full-time and specialized staff, and the most contact hours for training. Category Two academies offer slightly fewer resources, followed by Category Three, which has even less support. Category Four academies focus primarily on the professional phase, typically consisting of youth teams or under 23 teams. This structured categorization aims to improve the quality of player development across the sport.