On Friday 7^th July, Broomfields hosted its first Academy Award Evening. This event saw the gathering of all squads from U12 to U21 to celebrate the achievements from the 2022/23 season.

The event was fantastically well supported with over 200 parents and players in attendance for the debut event.

In addition to the traditional awards for footballing achievements like “Players’ player” and “Coaches’ player”, Academy scholars that have excelled in the classroom were also celebrated for their academic achievements.

It is always nice to highlight the success of individuals and stand-out performers, but the U16 Girls were recognised as a whole squad after they were crowned JPL CYAN Divisional Winners.

All Academy staff were in attendance and were joined by First Team captain Byron Webster, CEO Mark Hammond and Academy sponsors LSP, LK Group & Command Electrical.

Director of Academy & Education, Tom Beaumont, said: “We have talked about the idea of bringing the whole Academy together as one for a number of seasons, and I’m so glad that we have finally managed to make it happen.”

He added: “It is a great illustration of the journey our Academy players could go through. Starting out as an u12 players, right through to the Academy, all the way to the U21 or even First team.”

With the age of the players varying by up to nearly a decade, it isn’t often that all the players are in one place at the same time, even though they all wear the same badge on their chest every week.

Tom also noted the value for all the players to be in the company of one another: “It is great for the younger players to have role models to look up to, and for the more senior players to recognise how far they have come and the responsibility they now have to set good examples for the younger boys and girls that play for the club.”

Mark Hammond, CEO, closed the evening with a final message playing tribute recent Academy success stories, in particular Kellen Fisher who came through the academy ranks before finishing the season in the First team and as a result secured himself a move to Norwich City: “The next Kellen is in the room right now.”

He later added: “We have the staff, facilities, and infrastructure to help our young players maximise their potential. All we need is for them to display the Bromley FC Academy values of Believe, Focus, Commitment & Achieve and the possibilities are endless.”

This was the first celebration of its kind for the Academy, but it is safe to say that it won’t be the last.