Supporters Survey 2026 – You Asked Us, We Asked Them and They Answered
Introduction
In our 2026 supporter survey, one of the biggest topics raised in the open question box at the end of the survey was the Academy.
If we go back to the Guildhall, many supporters will remember the vision that was presented for developing our own “Britneys and Justins” through the Academy and into the first team. It was presented as an important part of the club’s long-term strategy to become more sustainable.
Ten years on, we are still waiting for an Academy graduate to establish themselves as a regular first-team player. There are increased hopes that Toby Steward could become that player, but what about the wider group coming through behind him?
Are we genuinely optimistic about the current crop? Do we have the right recruitment strategy, facilities, coaching and player-development structure in place to attract and develop young talent, both locally and from further afield?
Has there been sufficient progress? What has changed over the last decade? And what are the club’s long-term plans for the Academy?
These were just some of the questions raised by members in our survey.
We were therefore delighted that Andrew Cullen (AC) and the recently appointed Head of Academy, James Barlow (JB), along with Sporting Director, Rich Hughes (RH) agreed to an exclusive written interview covering all aspects of the Academy.
We have used questions submitted by our members, alongside a number of additional questions of our own. The questions and their responses, in their entirety, can be found by downloading the file below: