Every young footballer dreams of making it as a professional and that ambition is one step closer for a host of young Millers, as Rotherham United Academy recently welcomed their latest recruits, with a ‘signing night’ at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Goalkeeper Lenny Preston, Henry Redhead, Jenson-Lee Hay, Jack Rose, Joshua Papworth, Sam Perkins and Oscar Dewick were all officially welcomed to the under-8s setup, as they look to continue their footballing journey with the Millers.
The youngsters were given a brief tour of Rotherham United’s spiritual home before putting ‘pen to paper’ on their ‘new deals’ in South Yorkshire.
The 2020/21 campaign presented unprecedented challenges across all age groups but now, with lockdown restrictions continuing to ease, youngsters up and down the country will be seizing the chance to get back to doing what they love.
This is certainly the case at Rotherham United Academy, and now, after seeing first-hand the pathway that is potentially infront of them, Lead Foundation Phase Coach David Atkinson believes it is an exciting time for the young Millers.
“As I’ve said previously, you don’t know how much you want something until it is taken away from you and you can’t do it,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“It was an exciting day for them, we gave them a brief tour of the stadium and It was great for the boys to see the potential pathway infront of them.
“Even though the Under-8s are not officially part of the Academy until they move up an age group, we still gave them the same home schedules and kept them busy.
“I think without them knowing it, it has probably helped build up a bit of resilience in them as well, so long term, I think it is going to stand them in good stead.
“We’ve really seen the group come together since we’ve been back training and like I’ve said before, there is a really good atmosphere.
“Michael Lowe has done a great job with them in difficult circumstances, he has created an environment where the players can learn but also enjoying interacting with each other socially, so it is a real credit to him.”