Birmingham City are pushing on with plans to give the academy Category 1 status, with the club in the 'final stages' of their appeal.

Despite producing the likes of Nathan Redmond, Demarai Gray and most recently Jude Bellingham, there had been talks back in September that Blues were going to close their academy.

That update was a surprise, as it came months after the club made it clear they were pushing for Category 1 status.

So, for a few months it has been unclear which direction Blues were going to go in, however, in a statement released on their official site, they confirmed that the aim is to keep the academy and get that higher status, which is on the way.

"We are now entering the final stages of this process. The second round of auditing has been completed and the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) are now submitting our proposal.

"As part of the process we have invested in our infrastructure and staffing levels. We are now awaiting the outcome of our proposal."

The verdict

This is encouraging news for Birmingham City fans as the idea that the academy would be shut, or even scaled down, is not one that they would've supported.

They have produced plenty of quality players over the years, who have made a mark on the first-team and also made the club profit, which was a huge amount in Bellingham's case.

Blues need to keep trying to produce talent and they will hope that more future first-team players can come through the ranks when they have Category 1 status.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.