Reading have confirmed that their prestigious academy has returned to the top table of youth development- Category One- just a year after their demotion to Category Two.

A vital part of the club's DNA, almost 100 youth products have graduated into the first team since 1999, famously led by the late, great Eamonn Dolan until 2016.

Category One for almost a decade under Dolan's stewardship, the Covid-19 pandemic and a shift from Hogwood Park to Bearwood Park training facilitiy saw the Royals come up short last season and drop to Category Two.

However, despite the off-field issues of recent years and the first-team's relegation to League One, the youth set-up has continued to thrive and has earned promotion to Category One at the first attempt.

A hot-bed of former Royals, the set-up is led by legend Michael Gilkes, while Noel Hunt and Mikele Leigertwood take charge of the Under-23s and Under-18s respectively.

From now on, the club will return to the PL2 system, coming up against Premier League sides and the most promising young talent in the country.

Head of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, said: “The greatest compliment I can pay to the outstanding staff who help our esteemed Academy tick every day is that the young players who have returned for pre-season training at Bearwood Park in recent weeks won’t have noticed any difference to previous seasons. We have continued to operate our Academy at the very highest standards and those levels have rightly been recognised as elite within the realms of youth player development in this country. I am delighted for our young players, I am thrilled for our talented staff and I am excited for Reading Football Club and its future.”