Ipswich Town Development Centre programme provides a stepping stone between the Academy and Community Coaching courses. It offers an opportunity for boys with supreme skills to play and train with others of similar ability and for the Club to assess whether they may have the potential to succeed at Academy level.

The first Centres were established and run jointly by the Academy and the Community Project in 1998/99.  Three years later the Development Centres were restructured, more centres were added in new areas thus ensuring the most progressive and detailed Development Centre programme in the country. The programme has been further enhanced with the introduction of Elite squads. These squads are formed from the most promising players at the Centres, who come together at the Ipswich Training Centre once per fortnight for additional coaching.

The squads have become very successful in nurturing players through to the Academy.