Jamie Vardy’s V9 Academy forced to shut in 2020 due to lack of funds despite recent graduate signing for Norwich for £3m
JAMIE VARDY’S V9 Academy is set to shut down this year after failing to attract sponsors to help fund the project. The aim of the academy was to discover non-league talent and promote them to the professional game, following in the footsteps of the Leicester forward. After struggling to gain sponsors to help with the […]
JAMIE VARDY’S V9 Academy is set to shut down this year after failing to attract sponsors to help fund the project.
The aim of the academy was to discover non-league talent and promote them to the professional game, following in the footsteps of the Leicester forward.
After struggling to gain sponsors to help with the funding, the academy will not be running a five-day camp this year.
They have run two previous camps since the beginning of the academy, producing 20 players that have earned professional contracts.
Norwich City have just signed Sam McCallum from Coventry City after the 19-year-old left-back spent time at the V9 academy.
Vardy told the Mail: “What V9 has proved is that there are a lot of lads in non-league who are good enough to step up if given the opportunity.
“Me and Sam (McCallum) as well as the other success stories from V9 have proven that.
“We would like to keep providing this platform for non-league players and hopefully somebody out there will show some interest in supporting V9 going forward.”
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McCallum played 35 times for Coventry City since joining them in 2018 but the defender has earned himself a move to the Premier League in a £3.5million deal.
The academy is hoping the success story of McCallum will persuade potential sponsors to get involved with the project and help continue to the development of V9 which began in 2016.
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A selected number of non-league players are invited to take part in a five-day training camp at Manchester City’s Etihad campus.
Scouts are then invited to watch a game where the players showcase their talents in a bid to gain a professional contract.
Vardy, who joined Leicester from Fleetwood Town in 2012, has called for support so that non-league players aren’t overlooked.
