Mansfield Town Football Club has announced that its Academy has been awarded Category 3 status by the EFL.

The news follows an extensive audit of the academy on different key areas, including productivity rates, training facilities, coaching, education and welfare provisions.

Eight additional teams will now join the academy, from teams aged under nine to under 16, in accordance with the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), a curriculum designed to help clubs produce more homegrown players.

“I’m absolutely delighted that we have been granted an opportunity to operate as a Category 3 Academy next season,” said Academy manager Richard Cooper.

“This is a result of months of hard work by all of my staff and I thank them all for their efforts and can’t wait for the new season ahead.

“For the town of Mansfield, it gives our local junior players an opportunity to play for our club.

“Our new training facility, the RH Academy, will play a huge part in developing all our Academy players. The on-site facilities cover all the criteria set by the EFL.

“All players will follow a bespoke football curriculum which will include training and a professional games programme on a Sunday.

“We look forward to seeing our training headquarters (at RH Academy) fully operational by early September.

“The planning and preparation will now continue as we look forward for our very first professional fixture as a Category 3 Academy.”

Chairman John Radford said: “This is a momentous achievement for our Academy, which is still in a relatively embryonic stage.

“The Academy and its staff have now been rewarded in public for the work they have implemented behind-the-scenes in the past few years.

“The awarding of Category 3 status will aid the academy in moving to the next level. It will be bigger, better and stronger than ever before.

“We are determined to develop all of our young players to the highest of standards and it’s an exciting time for aspiring footballers to be a part of an academy which has received national recognition.

“The new status underlines another significant mark of progress for our club, which moves Mansfield Town Football Club forward in the football world.”