Congratulations to Third Year student Ed Thomas who has recently signed a contract with Charlton Athletic Football Club. Ed is the captain of the Trinity U14 A team and has enjoyed a great season of school football at the same time as juggling training with the academy.
Ed has been playing football since he was small and joined a grass roots club at U7. Whilst playing for a team in the Kent Youth League, he was approached by a scout from Charlton Athletic FC. Ed was invited to a 10-week trial at the academy and, after working hard at training, was quickly selected to play for the U14 team.
During his review meeting, Ed was told that the coaches were impressed with his attitude and technical skills and that he offered something different to the other academy players, in his flexibility to play in more than one position.
Ed currently trains four times a week with the academy and plays matches against other academy teams – such as West Ham, Arsenal and Brighton – every Sunday. The contract will take him up to when he is 16.
Ed says, “It felt amazing to sign the contract, especially after 10 weeks of hard work, because the dream is just to play football. I am looking forward to the different playing opportunities going forward: recently I travelled up to Nottingham University with the team to play in the International Premier League tournament, where we played against teams from Germany and the Czech Republic. It was brilliant!”
Great news Ed, well done for all your hard work.
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The Charlton Athletic FC academy programme is committed to the nurture, progression and production of talented young players. There is a clear pathway from schoolboy to scholar to professional, which is evidenced in the success of academy graduates who have gone on to play for men’s first teams.
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