'It's the missing piece': Mel Reay reacts to another major step forward for Sunderland Women

The new programme will ensure a full pathway from U10s to the first team, with young players looking to break into Reay's senior side now getting the chance to compete against WSL and Championship youth sides.

The news follows on from the club's announcement earlier this week that they would move to hybrid model this summer, handing out some professional footballers while allowing others to maintain their careers outside of the game while playing.

It means that there is now a realistic pathway in place for young female footballers to go all the way through the system and become a professional footballer at Sunderland.

"It's a huge announcement for us as a club, it's something that we've been driving towards for a number of years," Reay said.

"It's the missing piece of the jigsaw for us, we've always historically had the younger age group teams in the Regional Talent Centre but that 16-20 has always been missing. We tried to bridge the gap this year with the U23 team that played in Tier 7 this year and they have done fantastically well, but this is a huge moment for players who want to represent the club. They can now come into this academy programme and play in the U21 league, play a good level of football and hopefully bridge the gap to my first team.

"Someone who is nine can now come into the pathway just as a boy can and go all the way through to being a professional footballer - and that's the legacy that we want to leave behind.

"With the Lionesses winning last summer the game is growing and the profile of the sport is growing, and to have a career in the game is what any male or female wants - and now that can happen."

Reay said securing safety in the Championship was a huge achievement and one that had paved the way for these changes, which will hopefully allow the club to continue being competitive in a rapidly-improving division.

"It was really important that we stayed in the league first and foremost, because we knew this was in the pipeline," Reay said.

"So it was a huge achievement for us in our second season to stay up.

"The club recognises that we need to keep building now and develop at a pace in line with the rest of the league. It's been really tough being a part-time team in the league but we've managed it and now it's a really exciting time because we can offer some of our players the chance to be professional, as well as offering others the chance to stay part-time and continue their careers.

"This club has always produced young players and this team we have at the moment is no different. We know there are a lot of players to follow them and being able to ensure they can stay in the region and at this club is imperative."

Sunderland are actively taking submissions to join the new Academy programme, and interest can be registered here.