For the second year running, the German FA (DFB) have awarded the youth academy of 1. FC Union Berlin the highest possible grade — three stars.

As part of the licensing system, it’s mandatory for clubs in the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga to run and maintain a youth football centre. The regular and nationwide evaluation of German academies takes place every three years. Academy coaches present in detail which training philosophy is applied, the standards of athletic training

“The result is confirmation of the good work that our employees do for the next generation,” said Janek Kampa, head of the academy at 1. FC Union Berlin. “But it’s also an indication of our constant development and proof of the good training conditions here. It remains our responsibility to put that into practice every day. The contribution of the academy training in the success of 1. FC Union Berlin will be shown on the Alte Försterei pitch in years to come.”

The development of young players is of great importance to Union Berlin. The academy has been in existence since 2002 and their annual investments in young talent has helped support the development of young players. Lennart Moser and Lennard Maloney have recently made this leap to the first team and they will be part of the squad for the upcoming season.

In the upcoming season, all Union youth teams will compete in the highest possible divisions. The U17 side also won the Berlin Cup (Axel Lange Cup) and qualified for the NOFV-Pokal, a cup tournament for clubs in the northeast.

Lutz Munack, the director of youths and amateur football, is confident about the academy’s future: "We are constantly adapting our structures to create the best conditions for our players. The focus in the coming years will be on the construction of the new training centre. It is by far our largest and most complex project in the academy so far, from which we expect a great boost for our youth training.”