Yeltz Academy Win League Title

Halesowen's Academy side have won the West Midlands Regional Championship League. The side have won the title with one game to spare, and the players who attend Halesowen College have lost just once this season. The side have scored 25 goals and conceded just nine times. Craig Nicholls, Head of the Academy, had this to say:

"A huge congratulations to all players for the commitment and effort they have shown throughout the season. It has been a tough one, especially with the amount of games we had called off. The side only played twice before Christmas, so keeping everyone motivated is a testament to the players. But our amazing staff, who kept them working hard and training each week in tough times.

"Over the last five seasons we have built and grown a high quality programme with a professional environment. For me, winning a title at any level is an achievement that the lads and staff should be massively proud of. The programme has been running in collaboration with Halesowen College for five seasons now. We have won four league titles, and a National Cup in the 2022/23 season. We have also grown from 16 students to 95 in that time period.

"This season with the four teams that we have, all of them will finish in the top four of their respective leagues. The cohort has been exceptional this year. They are balancing playing in and out of college, an education and work life, and obviously a social life. We hope to continue to grow the programme in the coming seasons. This is in the hope of carrying on our success, and not just in winning leagues, but developing players to hopefully represent the club at a higher level. As a part of this we are looking to start a female academy, alongside the mens for next season. Just this week we have had two fantastic open training sessions for next years cohorts.

"We have had a lot of players this year go into non-league football at different steps. But what is key for me personally is to see some of these players wearing the Yeltz badge at the Grove on a Saturday. We need a clear pathway from youth to senior football. The academy and u18's floodlit will be fully focused next year to provide future players for the first team. This has to be the end goal, and there is nothing better than seeing one of your own representing the first team."

The Academy side are in action tomorrow (Wednesday 9th) in their final game of the season at home against Newtown. Come along to The Grove to cheer the lads on as they close out their successful season.