CHERRIES under-18s manager Alan Connell has detailed how attaining Category Two status for the academy would benefit “everyone” at the club.

Despite a looming takeover, Cherries have committed to improving the training facilities at Canford Magna, with works restarting this summer.

It is hoped that the improvements will allow the Dorset club to make the step up from Category Three to Category Two, meaning Cherries’ youth sides will encounter higher quality opposition than they currently do.

Talking on Cherries’ official podcast, Connell shared: “The 3G, it's been documented, is being built at Canford at the moment, over by the golf course, which we own, so that's not too far away.

"Hopefully that's going to be followed by improved facilities that would enable us to move from a category three academy to a category two academy. It would be huge.

“Short term, hopefully we'll all see benefits. Long term, I think there should be massive benefits.

“I suppose examples would be we've lost, I think in the last three years we've probably sold five or six players, boys that are between the age of 16 and 18.

"So those players, if we'd have been a higher grade academy, they may still be here.

"So they'd be players that would potentially be pushing through, but they chose to leave and most of them were for reasons that were so they could play what they would deem at a higher academy level.

"It  has its frustrations, but that's part and parcel. First team players get sold because they move on to bigger clubs as well.

"But I think as we move forward, I think we have a better chance of keeping those players."

Former Cherries striker Connell then went on to describe the new opposition the youth teams would face.

Currently Cherries ply their trade in the EFL Youth Alliance league, with the club not finishing outside the top two since Connell took charge in 2017.

He restarted: “Younger age groups, I think nines to 15s will play on Sundays, against Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, those types of team, as part of their program.

"16s, 18s, 21s would move into a league with Watford, QPR, Millwall, Bristol City, Reading, Birmingham.

“It would make a huge difference to the opposition our players are playing against and it could only benefit everyone. And I think facilities hopefully will improve, obviously, with the potential of the new training ground.”

“I think it's where we deserve to go as an academy. I'm so pleased that the club have seen and supported that - as they always have done, because they've always backed us and given us resources.

“Hopefully we're going to get even more to progress.”

The entire podcast with Connell can be listened to by visiting Cherries' official website.