The 2021 AFC Youth Academy Awards took place at Pittodrie last Thursday as players, staff and parents gathered to look back at another successful season. Each player – from U10 to U16- was presented with a medal while individual awards were handed out for each age group. First team manager, Stephen Glass and assistant coach, Scott Brown were in attendance along with other club representatives.

The event was hosted by RedTV presenter, Rob Maclean and after the evening was concluded, Rob spoke to Academy Director, Gavin Levey. You can watch the interview below or read on for the quotes:

“We’re quite overwhelmed to be honest with how it went. We’ve seen everyone here together tonight and what a job it’s been. It’s a chance to celebrate, two years rather than one.

“Without adding too much pressure on them all, it’s a chance to reward them in a different way. And they’ve got the opportunity now to go forward and use that as a motivation for themselves and to try and, not just earn trophies, but go and try and eventually earn a professional contract here.

“And, having everyone here together from the first team all the way down to where it begins with our scouting team and some of the pre-academy players. And it’s the only time, probably in the year that we get a good opportunity to do this.

“You look at those boys that you mentioned there [Dean Campbell, Connor McLennan, Calvin Ramsay & Jack Mackenzie] and they all sat in the same awards night and they’ve worked their way back along the rows to eventually become a young professional. Every one of them experienced a different journey through the academy system and overcame their own personal hurdles. Our job as an academy and football club is to give every individual what they need. Sometimes that’s time, sometimes that’s an additional challenge. Sometimes it’s technical attributes, sometimes it’s mental attributes. But that’s what we’re here for and we’re here to develop players, we’re here to develop individuals, and hopefully they can go on and follow some of the successes of those players that you’ve just mentioned. The manager [Stephen Glass] is here tonight, as you know.

“I want to drive the academy forward as much as we can which is why I’ve been given the role but you can’t do it without the team of staff that are here tonight. And as I said earlier this evening, there’s so many people we would have to thank that contribute to this and the job that we do here and the job that the parents do. It’s relentless- it really is. It doesn’t stop. It just keeps going.

“It’s been the biggest, biggest challenge, probably for every football club that they have ever had to experience over the last 18 months [the pandemic] and how we’ve come through it . We have to take massive confidence from that and have massive pride in how we’ve done it and how we’ve gone about our business.

“And I actually think we’re going to come out of this whole pandemic stronger than we went in. I think when you look at the work that’s gone on individually and as groups, the challenges that we have now set with young players to try and stretch their development. I’m excited. The management team, the first team staff, they come and watch the games, they come out to training. And a number of the first team have been getting involved in our training sessions quite regularly. So having us all together at Cormack Park, creating that wonderful environment which I believe we have and I’ll repeat myself again- it’s about becoming the best developers of young Scottish talent this country has.”

The Winners

Andrew Cheyne Special Recognition Award
Alfie Bavidge

Goal of the Season
Max Reid v Rangers

Neale Cooper Awards

U10s – Gavi Osula

U11s – Rory Phillips

U12s – Max Pocklington

U13s – Cayden McGuinness

U14s – Fletcher Boyd

U15s – Victor Enem

U16s – Finlay Marshall

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone in the academy for another exciting season and to those involved in the planning and delivery of the Awards Night.

Thanks to the event sponsors, Amplus Energy Services and Youth Academy sponsors- RAM Tubulars & Saltire Energy.