Brentford boost as academy handed prestigious 'Category One' status

Brentford ’s academy has been awarded Category One status just four years after reopening following the club’s promotion to the Premier League .

From the start of the 2026/27 season, Brentford will compete in Premier League 2 , the Under-21s league for the top academies in England, and the U18s Premier League.

The decision comes just two years after the club were awarded Category Two academy status ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Despite being awarded Category One status, the club will continue to operate the Brentford B team after they won the Professional Development League following a 2-2 draw with Swansea City Under-21s on Sunday.

Brentford introduced the B team in May 2016, in an effort to focus their attentions on securing promotion to the Premier League, which they achieved in 2021.

The unique model, which replaced the club’s academy, has provided a direct pathway to first-team football for players between the ages of 17 and 21.

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By focusing on identifying players who may previously have been discarded by more traditional academy pathways, Brentford have seen players from their B team go on to contribute more than 500 first-team appearances.

Notable alumni from the B team include Yehor Yarmoliuk and Mads Roerslev, who have 185 Premier League appearances for Brentford between them.

David Rainford, Brentford Academy director, said of the decision to award Brentford Category One Academy status: “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.”