BURNLEY development squad boss Michael Jolley believes improvements to the Gawthorpe training ground will help attract more players to the club.

But the Under-21s chief insists better facilities alone will not see the club improve on Category Three status under the Elite Player Performance Plan.

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Moving up a category would boost the Clarets in terms of youth development and the £10.6million scheme will see them meet the criteria to reach the level of Category Two.

While the new facilities will be a bonus for everyone at the club, Jolley is also aware that the work going on inside the building has to be of a high standard if they are to move up.

“Anyone that arrives at Gawthorpe now and especially when it’s finished will see where the club is trying to be, and the fact we are back in the Premier League is a big attraction for a lot of people,” said Jolley.

“That said we can’t just assume the facility alone will be enough to move us up in category status. It’s about the work that goes on inside the building, so we’ve got to make sure that the work is being done correctly.

“We’re speaking within the club about how we go about doing that.”

The Gawthorpe redevelopment will include a new building and indoor training hall which will provide facilities for the first team, development squad and youth team under one roof.

It also includes several new training pitches and is due to open in the summer of 2017, and Jolley believes it presents Burnley with an opportunity they can capitalise on to take the youth set-up to the next level.

“I see it as a big opportunity for us, the fact we have these great facilities and the fact we could move up in category,” he said.

“There are changes coming in terms of academy and youth football and we’ve got be ready to adapt and make sure we’re near the front of that when it happens.”

Burnley’s Category Three status means they don’t always face teams who have achieved a higher level in fixtures during the season, something that moving up in the structure might change.

“Certainly the categorisation and the games program at the moment doesn’t help us,” said Jolley. “The arrival of new facilities at Gawthorpe will help that.

“Then it’s about having the right people to deliver the coaching and the recruitment that is needed and we’re moving towards that.

“It’s not an overnight cure but I think we’re moving in the right direction. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we have a Burnley academy player playing in the Burnley first-team.”