My lad is in the Elite U16s and has been for about 3 years now.Prior to that

he was in the PDC. Both are fairly similar in that they are both run by the Community Sports Foundation (CSF) which is a separate entity to the Academy entirely. Both the Elite, or EPDC as it’s also known and the PDC are “invite only” ie you have to trial for them. Also you have to pay for them as well as the kit and travel whereas Academy players don’t have to pay for training and all matches/kit/tours etc are funded by the club.
The Elite is certainly a step up from the PDC, with fewer numbers and a better standard. It can be a link up to the Academy but we’ve found very little collaboration between the two entities. Out of the years my son has been in the Elite I can only think of 2 occasions where a player has successfully joined the Academy. Of course your nephew could be the one to buck the tend in the future and why not eh?
With NCFC having a Category 1 status it’s actually quite detrimental to local kid’s chance of progressing, although it’s an advantage to club over all. With Cat 1 they can scout from all round the world and not just within a couple of ours travel time. So local kids don’t get some much of a look in. Mind you, still being 11 he’s at the right age and he’ll enjoy the training with a very good set up.
One thing which is good is that with the PDC or EPDC he can still play with his local team and this is where a lot of scouts still see potential players. I know of two lads in my sons age who were spotted playing for StAndrews and Taverham who went on to Colchester and Ipswich Academies with Norwich not interested.
Also don’t be too convinced that they’ll play against equivalent standard players from major teams. They simply don’t, they play against Cambridge, Boston, Ely, Colchester, Ipswich etc.
On the whole I do recommend it and well done to him to be chosen.
All the best
AP

Posted By: Augustus Pablo, Aug 1, 22:44:21