West Bromwich Albion, like every professional football club, is always on the lookout for the stars of tomorrow and Bridgnorth Endowed student, Archie Williams, has just been signed as a member of the U12’s academy team.
The talented 12-year-old, who has been with the WBA Academy for six years, will step up to embark on an intensive programme, which includes three nights of training a week and games on Sundays.
Archie’s football career began at just five years-old, when he joined local team, Bridgnorth Spartans, and signed up for a football camp at St Leonard’s School during the summer holidays.
His talent was obvious from the start and he was picked for a team that played over in Wolverhampton, where he was scouted by Wolves and given the opportunity to train with them for six months.
At the age of six, Archie was playing regularly for Wolves and Spartans and, during a game in Wolverhampton, was spotted by both Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion.
He went on to sign for the Albion, where he’s been ever since, and the recent move to the U12s marks a major step forward as the level of commitment gets significantly more serious at this stage.
The Academy’s Assistant Education Officer, Kierenne Baldwin, recently contacted the school and said: “I am very proud to tell you your pupil Archie Williams is a signed member of our U12’s team.”
“We like to work closely with the player, parents, school and club to support development of the pupil both from a football and life skills perspective without it hindering their education in any way.”
Archie, who also plays for the school, has already produced some top performances for the BES Year 7 team, scoring a staggering nine goals in just two matches.
PE teacher, Mr Chase, said: “Archie is one of the most natural finishers I’ve ever seen in school football. He really is a tremendous talent and both Bridgnorth Endowed and the local community are very lucky to have him.”
“He is extremely level-headed and knows that to establish a future in football is not a given and further hard work and sacrifice is required to make it in the professional game. We look forward to supporting his development over the coming years.”
