A dedicated Player Care Officer will be in contact with all affected players for an extended period of time, as we support them on their journey - typically helping them find a new club, education programme or a job.
The formal expansion of this offering continues the club’s significant investment in its new Academy facility having secured elite Category 1 status, and follows the official opening by England manager, former Palace player and Academy graduate Gareth Southgate alongside Chairman Steve Parish.
Chairman Steve Parish said: “The Academy’s primary role is of course to ultimately produce footballers for the club's first team, but we have a duty and moral obligation to nurture and guide all the 200+ players within our care.
“The Academy experience is a truly enriching one for our young players, where they will obviously develop as footballers, but also as young men, being taught a range of hugely beneficial life skills.
“We provide an outstanding education provision for those in our full-time care and hybrid education programmes, which will broaden all players’ options in the future.
“But we recognise that when an older Academy player is released, it may feel like the end of the world for that young man, and we must do our utmost to offer support to affected players through that process and guide them with the next stage of their journey.
“That typically begins with us providing introductions to new clubs or continuing to include the players in matches to enable other clubs to watch them play.
“But it may also be about helping them continue their education or begin a life outside of football in the workplace. Whatever their path is, we want to offer our support to them to help them achieve success.”