Women’s Academy awarded Category 1 status

Our Women’s Academy has been awarded a Category 1 Professional Game Academy (PGA) License for the 2023/24 season.

The PGA will replace the current FA WSL Academy and will provide a high-quality training environment to ensure players coming out of the pathway are ready to compete at the highest levels of the domestic and international game.

The PGA, which has been developed following an extensive consultation period across the game, will come to fruition in the 2023/24 season and will cater for the development of talented female players between the ages of 14 to 20.

Kay Cossington, The FA’s Women’s Technical Director, said: “Our Professional Game Academies form a key stage of our player pathway. It is at this point that the player becomes ready for top level football but also develops them as a person so they’re prepared for life in and out of the game. 

“We are grateful to the 20 clubs across the country who have recognised their importance and shown a real commitment to player progression and development. We look forward to working with them closely as they develop the next generation of talent and evolve our game for the future.”

Alex Zurita, General Manager for Tottenham Hotspur Women, said: "We are delighted to be selected as one of the clubs to be granted a Category 1 Licenced Professional Game Academy for the 2023/24 season. 

“This is a further step in our evolution as a pathway and our intent in identifying and developing the very best talent, which can transition into full-time professional football within our first team.

“Our aim is to also continue making the game more diverse, accessible and inclusive by having a continued focus on supporting girls from the local community, ensuring that our academy is representative of the local community we operate and serve.”