The Aberdeen FC Youth Academy Awards for 2022 were held at Pittodrie on Tuesday evening as players, staff and parents looked back on another successful year. Each player – from U10 to U16- was presented with a medal while individual awards were handed out for each age group. First team manager Jim Goodwin, Youth Academy Graduate Jack MacKenzie and Youth Academy Coach Jonny Hayes were among those in attendance alongside other club representatives.

Academy Director Gavin Levey spoke to event host Rob MacLean for RedTV to reflect on the night and the season:

“It was a great night, to see everybody here at Pittodrie and to celebrate the successes we have had this year. It is a special occasion not just for the award winners but for everybody who has played their part throughout this season.

“The night shows that this is a collective approach to youth development. We have got players who have sat in the front row and worked their way back to step onto the stage to present the awards to future Aberdeen players. To have the manager here to speak as passionately as he did about the work that goes on here but he also gave some very valuable advice. To have our Director of Football here, our sponsors, all of the parents, all of the staff, the scouting team, it shows that this is only possible with everybody involved and playing their part.

“The tournaments that we attend now are the same ones that Calvin Ramsay went to. That is the message that I shared tonight, that if a young boy from Cove, who moved to Bridge of Don, who had an unbelievable work ethic to practice and loved football and loved having a ball, if he can do it and got to play in the Champions League and move for a record transfer out of Aberdeen, then some of these kids who are sitting at Pittodrie tonight, they have to have that dream to dream big as well because it could happen to them.

“We have got to be ambitious and we have got to be better. Where we have had a bit of success, we have to take the clues as to why we have had that success and we have to go on build on that. It is not easy to do because, you want to be able to enjoy the success but you have to move forward and you have to evolve. Our coaching programme has served us well for a long period of time here at the Academy and it has really matured. With the expertise of some of our Development Phase staff, Barry Robson, Scott Anderson, Kev Symon and along with ourselves, we are going to be driving something new and exciting in the New Year which will hopefully take us to another level. We can only measure that at the top level by playing against top European competition and by travelling and going abroad and by testing ourselves against them as well as doing what we can domestically.”

The Winners

Highlight Of The Year
Joseph Teasdale

Goal Of The Season
Rory Phillips

Neale Cooper Awards

U10’s – Leo Forbes

U11’s – Calan Freeland

U12’s – Finn McCulloch

U13’s – Max Pocklington

U14’s – Theo Simpson

U15’s  – Lewis Carrol

U16’s – Lewis Pirie

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.

Amplus – Event sponsor. Key partner of the Club since 2014, Amplus Energy Services Ltd increased their level of engagement to become Official Supporters of the Youth Academy in 2021 and this is the second year they have been title sponsors for the annual awards.

Texo – Official Club and Youth Academy Sponsors.

RAM Tubulars – In their second year of supporting the Youth Academy in becoming the best developer of talent in Scotland.

Zenith – Sponsors of the BOAL European Tournament.

Katoni Engineering – Annual sponsor of the Katoni Cup.

Thank you to all of the sponsors of the Youth Academy for their continued support throughout the past year.