3/1 To Win
The on and off the pitch achievements of 11 young footballers has been recognised by League Football Education (LFE) – including Derby County’s Max Bird.
‘The 11’ acknowledges the football and academic progress of Under-18 players on apprenticeships at current or former English Football League (EFL) clubs - and is also designed to assess other factors including involvement in community or charity based initiatives.
This accolade celebrates the holistic development of young players, a barometer which is also applied to the LFE Apprentice of the Year Awards presented at The EFL Awards dinner in April.
England Under-20 World Cup winners Ademola Lookman (formerly Charlton Athletic), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (formerly Sheffield United) and Lewis Cook (formerly Leeds United) have all previously been named in ‘The 11’.
Everton forward Lookman and AFC Bournemouth midfielder Cook also went on to become Apprentice of the Year winners.
Others to previously feature in this select group include Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham), Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) and James Justin (Luton Town).
The 11 - October 2017
* Niall Watson (Accrington Stanley)
* Max Bird (Derby County)
* Jordan Stevens (Forest Green Rovers)
* Steven Sessegnon (Fulham)
* Connor Simpson (Hartlepool United)
* Jamie Shackleton (Leeds United)
* Jack James (Luton Town)
* Lewis Freestone (Peterborough United)
* Lewis Fensome (Preston North End)
* Ben Wilmot (Stevenage)
* Mitch Candlin (Walsall)
LFE chief executive Alan Sykes added: “The 11 is directly associated with apprentice reviews that are conducted by our regional officers throughout the season. It is a great way to highlight the achievements and progression of talented young footballers who apply themselves to all aspects of their apprenticeship.”
First-year scholar Bird has made excellent progress in recent months and, as well as featuring regularly for Derby’s Under-23s, the midfielder made his first-team debut at the age of 16 after being named in the starting line-up for the Carabao Cup Second Round tie at Barnsley in September.
He also signed his first professional contract with Derby recently upon turning 17.
