Work to improve the facilities of Norwich City's training centre at Colney are being stepped up, as the Canaries continue to invest in their youth system.

City chairman Alan Bowkett recently said he feels the club must improve the facilities at Colney if top-level footballers are to be attracted to Norfolk.

Now academy manager Gregg Broughton has revealed that work to install a floodlit 3G pitch, to improve the bottom-half of the Colney pitches and to relay carpet in the indoor arena to meet FIFA standards are all in the pipeline.

'We're very confident that we are operating well above the standards required to be in Category One and to be considered as one of the top academies nationwide,' Broughton said, as the club prepares for its coveted Category One status to be audited.

'The only aspect we have work to do is on some of the facilities at Colney, which we are working to bring up to standard over the course of the next six months ahead of the July deadline.'

The improvements come as City continue to try and build on the success of winning the FA Youth Cup in 2013, with several of the players from that team currently out on loan, including Josh and Jacob Murphy, Harry Toffolo and Carlton Morris.

Broughton added that another player from that successful team, wide player Reece Hall-Johnson, may also be heading out on loan after the 20-year-old recovered from a recent hamstring injury

'Reece has the athleticism and quality on the ball to make a real impact from full-back at senior level and there's currently a concerted effort to put him in a position where he can show his ability in league football,' Broughton added, in his blog for City's website.

'We believe everything experienced by the players away from the club on loan is a positive as they are able to learn from their journey.'

City's Under-21s have been drawn away to Brighton in the last-32 of the U21 Premier League Cup and will play at the Amex Stadium next Thursday in a 7pm kick-off.