Stevenage FC youngster Fejiri Okenabirhie has been recognised for his football and academic progress as part of a new national competition.
League Football Education, which was established in 2004 and manages the Apprenticeship (AASE) programme at Football League clubs, has launched its new national competition, ‘The 11’ to recognise the football and academic progress of eleven apprentice players across the land.
‘The 11’, which also assesses other factors such as apprentice involvement in club community based initiatives, is judged by LFE’s team of regional officers. It replaces the ‘Apprentice of the Month’ award and will run on four occasions (October, December, February and May) during the 2013-14 season.
October’s inaugural 11 includes Boro's young striker, who has been in fine form for the U18s this season:
• Connor Mahoney (Accrington Stanley)
• Harry Williams (Cheltenham Town)
• Sam Szmodics (Colchester United)
• James Jones (Crewe Alexandra)
• Jake Charles (Huddersfield Town)
• Bryn Morris (Middlesbrough)
• Tyler Guy (Notts County)
• Ben Close (Portsmouth)
• Ioan Evans (Sheffield United)
• Fejiri Okenabirhie (Stevenage FC)
• Robert Evans (Wrexham)
LFE chief executive Alan Sykes said, “This competition is aligned directly to apprentice reviews that are conducted by our regional officer’s throughout the season and is a great way to highlight the achievements and progress of talented young footballers on the apprenticeship programme.”
Darren Sarll, Head of Youth at Stevenage FC, said, “Fejiri is an exemplary scholar. He has combined a very tough academic and football schedule by also studying a further A-Level. His football is improving daily which is testament to his ability to learn and his intelligence."
For in depth profiles on all of the players named in ‘The 11’ for October please visit the LFE website.