Wrexham AFC welcomes ten new scholars to Academy

Wrexham AFC say they are “pleased to welcome” ten new scholars to the club’s Academy, all of whom have started their journey in full-time football at Colliers Park this month.

Following a successful first season as an EFL-licensed Academy, the players and staff for the 2024/25 season have returned to training for the new campaign, with ten players welcomed on to two-year scholarships to take the squad to 24 players in total.

Having set up the Academy following promotion back to the EFL in 2023, the first season saw the team – led by Nick Chadwick – finish runners-up in the EFL Youth Alliance North West Division, while several players made first-team debuts and four players – Harry Ashfield, James Rainbird, Callum Edwards and Harry Dean – all signed pro contracts.

The ten first-years were welcomed by Academy Manager Andy Lowe and staff, with a welcome event held to introduce the programme to players, parents and their families – outlining the expectations of the scholarship.

Lowe said: “We are delighted to announce we have offered ten players full-time scholarships in our Academy, all of which started their two-year journey with Wrexham AFC on July 1.

“I would like to congratulate and extend a warm welcome to each player and their families. The signing of their scholarship forms, followed by the opportunity to have professional photos taken to recognise their achievements was fantastic to see and an important milestone for the young people.

“This is the start of an exciting journey for the players, their families, and the Football Club and the staff are very much looking forward to supporting the young players in their development and to build on the successes of last season.

“Head of recruitment Chris Burn has worked closely with Nick Chadwick and academy secretary Zoe Denman-Ellis the past five months to recruit the new cohort of players – a huge amount of work behind the scenes by all involved.”

The scholars are:

Dafydd Edwards

Nikolas Slosarczyk

George Cruise

Samuel Chesworth

Oliver Mc Tweed

Tommy Clayton

Casey Bedford

Umar Nawaz

Joe Rees

Daymeon Alves Almeida