You can’t say I didn’t warn you!

[Forbury Lion]

I suspect there was £3.75m held back from the sale of the club and this may be owed to the former owner but not yet payable, This being an agreed way to secure that debt..... financially speaking, would we rather he just send £3.75m to the former owner now and have no money available to run the club or have to sell something?

[Hound]

I’m sure he is considering downgrading the academy as well tbh. Any sensible own would at least consider it. We’re not really using it this year player wise and it costs a fortune

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

But also the kind of overspending that does likewise

In a huge fan of the academy - but it has to pay its way. This year it hasn’t. Two Kelvins only Academy players that have featured regularly and they came through years ago. And they are borderline first 11

If the manager etc are deciding it’s a better policy to bring in from outside then it’s not worth keeping at Cat 1 (we can always get it back later if and when circumstances allow it)

[Snowflake Royal]

I’m sure he is considering downgrading the academy as well tbh. Any sensible own would at least consider it. We’re not really using it this year player wise and it costs a fortune

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

It's overspending that destroys clubs. There's a reason we're the only L1 club with a Cat 1 Academy.

[Sutekh]

I’m sure he is considering downgrading the academy as well tbh. Any sensible own would at least consider it. We’re not really using it this year player wise and it costs a fortune

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

It's overspending that destroys clubs. There's a reason we're the only L1 club with a Cat 1 Academy.

Realistically how many fans would prefer Reading to swap the academy youth system for the approach Brentford took up? Buy and/or loan in what you want at the time you want it and stuff an academy?

[Stranded]

I’m sure he is considering downgrading the academy as well tbh. Any sensible own would at least consider it. We’re not really using it this year player wise and it costs a fortune

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

I would like us to keep a Cat 1 Academy but the following clubs do not have a Cat 1 Academy currently:

Birmingham
Bournemouth
Bristol City
Charlton
Coventry
Crystal Palace
Hull
Ipswich
Leeds
Millwall
Forest
QPR
Sheffield United
Watford

This is a quick list including sides currently in the Prem and Champ - so whilst dropping a tier would be a real shame it would also not necessarily be a bad move.

[Stranded]

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

It's overspending that destroys clubs. There's a reason we're the only L1 club with a Cat 1 Academy.

Realistically how many fans would prefer Reading to swap the academy youth system for the approach Brentford took up? Buy and/or loan in what you want at the time you want it and stuff an academy?

Brentford now have a Cat 2 Academy - some form of hybrid could work whereby you have a lower level academy but also look to arrange a decent number of "B" team games against local non-league/international/Cat 1 Academies.

[WestYorksRoyal]

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2026/j ... ob-couhig/

Couhig breaks his silence on rumours. No grey; they're either untrue or he's an outright liar (which I don't think he is).

[rabidbee]

In a huge fan of the academy - but it has to pay its way. This year it hasn’t. Two Kelvins only Academy players that have featured regularly and they came through years ago. And they are borderline first 11.

But we also have to recognise that we’ve raided the academy heavily in the last few seasons, and brought through a few players sooner than we might have chosen to in ordinary circumstances. It mught now take a couple of years until we have many players ready to come through again.

[Hound]

In a huge fan of the academy - but it has to pay its way. This year it hasn’t. Two Kelvins only Academy players that have featured regularly and they came through years ago. And they are borderline first 11.

But we also have to recognise that we’ve raided the academy heavily in the last few seasons, and brought through a few players sooner than we might have chosen to in ordinary circumstances. It mught now take a couple of years until we have many players ready to come through again.

Agreed it’s been a lifesaver last few years - but it’s just not where we currently are at

[Hound]

https://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/2026/january/02/a-new-year-message-from-chairman-rob-couhig/

Couhig breaks his silence on rumours. No grey; they're either untrue or he's an outright liar (which I don't think he is).

All good - bit of a shame he didn’t clear the thing about the Rene security but otherwise seems pretty genuine

[windermereROYAL]

New years message on the OS from Rob, stop pissing your pants now.

[Brogue]

New years message on the OS from Rob, stop pissing your pants now.

Answered nothing about the security dai has on the training ground. Simply addressed the rumours by a journalist about the academy and training ground. Also nothing about the accounts being late….

[stealthpapes]

In a huge fan of the academy - but it has to pay its way. This year it hasn’t. Two Kelvins only Academy players that have featured regularly and they came through years ago. And they are borderline first 11.

But we also have to recognise that we’ve raided the academy heavily in the last few seasons, and brought through a few players sooner than we might have chosen to in ordinary circumstances. It mught now take a couple of years until we have many players ready to come through again.

100%.

Cannot talk about the academy in terms of this year or that year.

[PieEater]

Personally I'd be ok with the Cat1 academy going as long as they keep Bearwood for the first team. There's not a great deal of alternative sites for another training ground locally, and it has to be quite a pull to get players to sign for us.

The problem with the cost of running Bearwood is largely Wokingham DC rates, so if we have to sacrifice the academy to afford it then I'm good with it, as we can always restart the academy later.

[nailseabiscuitman]

New years message on the OS from Rob, stop pissing your pants now.

Answered nothing about the security dai has on the training ground. Simply addressed the rumours by a journalist about the academy and training ground. Also nothing about the accounts being late….

Some of the points you raise might well be valid but if I was going to post remarks like that I'm pretty sure I would check the accuracy first, and remarks like a no mark clown of a manager is just really vindictive. And how much input did Couhig have on signings, not much I imagine

[tmesis]

I’m sure he is considering downgrading the academy as well tbh. Any sensible own would at least consider it. We’re not really using it this year player wise and it costs a fortune

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

It's overspending that destroys clubs. There's a reason we're the only L1 club with a Cat 1 Academy.

Having a Category 1 academy won't destroy us, but it doesn't limit us to the spending power of, at best, an average League One club.

[Snowflake Royal]

It’s this sort of short term thinking that destroys football clubs for years.

It's overspending that destroys clubs. There's a reason we're the only L1 club with a Cat 1 Academy.

Having a Category 1 academy won't destroy us, but it doesn't limit us to the spending power of, at best, an average League One club.

Average income in L1 is under £10m, a Cat 1 Academy costs about £2.5m - £4m. It's about a third of our income and crippling long term.

The spending power of an average L1 club for transfers is maybe £250k, most transfers are frees.

There are Championship clubs who don’t think they can afford a Cat 1 Academy.

[Hound]

In a huge fan of the academy - but it has to pay its way. This year it hasn’t. Two Kelvins only Academy players that have featured regularly and they came through years ago. And they are borderline first 11.

But we also have to recognise that we’ve raided the academy heavily in the last few seasons, and brought through a few players sooner than we might have chosen to in ordinary circumstances. It mught now take a couple of years until we have many players ready to come through again.

100%.

Cannot talk about the academy in terms of this year or that year.

No but it has to pay its way and realistically sell at least a few players/have genuine first teamers each year

And going to Cat2 won’t necessarily destroy the potential if it again in the future.

And obvs the chance of being able to keep a potential superstar to sell for really top money is significantly lower in L1

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Successful first team vs. Cat 1 academy...

Based on where Reading FC are today, I'm not sure it's even that hard a choice...

Given the days of billionaires sugar daddies appear to be behind us, sustaining a Cat 1 academy on League 1 income is a luxury...

Even if RC is sticking with it, the money has to come from somewhere...

[Greatwesternline]

The Olise money kept the club alive. If we hadnt been in dire straights it would have paid for the upkeep of the academy for many years.

It's highly unlikely that future Olise's would choose RFC if it wasnt cat1.

if a £10m player comes through every 3 years or so, the academy is cost neutral. on top if that it provides squad players on lower wages than the club would have to pay than were they players signed through the transfer market.

It's also a finishing school for partly developed players. used properly and we would be signing 16 year olds from cat2s and developing them and selling them on for more. given the financial constraints of recent years we wont have been doing much academy recruitment either.

closing the academy or down grading it, given our small fanbase, would consign RFC to a similar size of club as any other club in england who cant get more than 12k at home on a bank holiday.