Within the scope of a certification process, Borussia Dortmund's Youth Academy achieved a very good overall result and was awarded the highest-possible rating of three stars. This is the result of the most recent quality assessment.

In each of the areas "support & education", "staff", "infrastructure & facilities" as well as "effectiveness and progression", BVB achieved an "excellent result".

In particular, the progression of internally developed players within the Youth Academy - and especially the introduction or rather the integration of the talented players into professional football and national teams - meets the highest performance demands, according to the assessment by the German Football League, the German Football Association and Double PASS GmbH.

"This special occasion represents an ideal time for me to say thank you to all employees of the Youth Academy, because this outstanding assessment was solely and exclusively possible thanks to their passion for football, tireless effort and an outstanding level of cooperation within the entire team," said Lars Ricken.

Furthermore, the BVB Youth Coordinator emphasised: "The certification result, the two German U17 Championships the club has won in the recent past as well as many other sporting successes enjoyed by our youth teams demonstrate that we are on the right track to turning our young talents into the best players that they could possibly be. However, one thing is also clear: All of this good work can still go much further! As a result, we will continue in the future to ensure the footballing development of our players and of the Youth Academy with great fervour, professionalism and creativity."