TEN City young hopefuls have taken their first step on the ladder after agreeing two-year academy scholarships.
Having risen through the ranks within the academy, they will now join up with City’s under-17s and under-19s sides for the next two seasons.
Forwards Kyro Ziemiecki, Kieran Mboma, Cameron Paul and Ryan Eli, central defender Hassan Ayub, left-sided player Zante Rose Campbell, midfielders Mahmoud Mohammed and Joel Martin, right-back Brandon White and goalkeeper Jack Robinson will all begin as under-17 first-year scholars in 2024/2025.
Three of the players have joined the club in the past year, while three of the scholars have arrived at the club as under-13s. White has been with City since the under-12s and Eli joined as an under-10.
The scholars featured in Tuesday’s friendly at Pickering Town – which had to abandoned after 65 minutes with the home side winning 1-0 because of the wet weather conditions.
City’s academy head of coaching, Ryan Farrell, said: “As always, the lads have done brilliantly to get to this point.
“There is a nice blend of attacking-minded players in this cohort, who I think will mix really well with our current second-year scholars, which should give us good balance.
“We are always looking to try and get under-16s in and around the professional development phase throughout the season, especially towards the back end of the season, to give them exposure and experiences to make this transition easier.
“That exposure we have given the current first-years has helped them in the games so far, especially on Tuesday against Pickering.
“We have had the opportunity to build an attachment with the players, and have got to know them really well, on and off the pitch.
“Their understanding of the club and what we ask for will stand them in good stead, as some of them have been in the academy system for a long time. I am looking forward to seeing how the squad works when we have everyone available.”
Interim head of academy Tom Calvert said: “Our strategy is to provide a pathway for talented and ambitious individuals from the local community to progress through the academy, eventually earning their right to play for Bradford City.
“Bobby Pointon is a great example of that being possible, and we are hopeful that this group of players can earn their opportunity too.
“A lot of credit must go to the coaching and performance support staff who work tirelessly to help these young people improve - both on and off the pitch.
“Tom Butcher, Dom Rowe, Oli Norman and Matt Maslak have done a brilliant job in preparing these players for their next step, and are examples of where we provide a pathway for talented, local coaches too.
“This group are special in the sense that they shared the grief of losing their friend and our number eight, Tomi Solomon, back in 2021, when they were only under-13s.
“We are all incredibly proud of the resilience and togetherness they have shown in the years since, and I am sure Tomi would be too.”
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