As the EFL celebrates Youth Development Week, Wanderers continue to recognise the young players who have come through their Academy programme.
The EFL is using this week to mark the success its clubs have had in producing young players who have gone on to perform for club and country.
Wanderers have had their share of those, while also celebrating the achievements of all the young players who have completed scholarships with the Whites under its Academy Legacy Programme.
The programme was launched at the end of last season to recognise and reward those that have completed a two-year scholarship with Wanderers since the launch of the nationwide Elite Player Performance Plan in 2012.
Among the first group of 21 to receive the special caps, each of which comes with an individual ‘graduation’ number, were Academy graduates Sam Inwood and Sonny Sharples-Ahmed who last week both signed new longer-term contracts with the Whites after progressing to the first-team squad under head coach Steven Schumacher.
Schumacher presented the first batch of caps when the Legacy Programme was launched in May, while those who have previously come through scholarships with the Whites will also receive caps and a letter of congratulations.
In five complete cohorts since 2012, a total of 105 young players have completed the scholarship course which covers their footballing pathway, personal development and an educational qualification in sport to potentially open up other future career avenues.
“We're possibly one of the first clubs in the EFL to have introduced such a programme and it’s just a great opportunity for our scholars who have come through with us to be recognised and have something to look back on in years to come. We're proud of what they've achieved,” said Wanderers' Academy Manager Dave Gardiner.
“We're all about developing the person, as well as the player, with the life skills and a qualification to support them on their journey and a great platform to build upon in life. They put a lot of hours and time into it - with the football on top of that – and we feel this is a great way to recognise their achievement and what they've done.”