At the end of 2023, the following players were offered scholarships for the youth team as they progressed through the player pathway in place at the Academy.
A total of eight scholarships have been awarded, six of those players have come through the Academy system at Carlisle and the other two scholarships have been awarded to players from Middlesbrough FC and Stoke City FC.
Hayden Atkinson – Hayden is a physical and dynamic centre back who has a fantastic attitude and is good at winning the ball both aerially and on the ground. He has a great attitude and work ethic which is infectious and is effective when defending 1v1.
Jamie Hodgson – Jamie joined the Academy at U14 level and has done incredibly well since joining. He is a quick, powerful and athletic player. He uses this to his advantage when both defending and attacking 1v1. He has good technical ability on the ball and can put in quality crosses which create great goal scoring opportunities.
Louis Lambert – Louis has been recruited from Middlesbrough FC. Lewis is a strong, powerful centre forward who possesses good technical ability. His stature enables him to hold the ball up well for his teammates and bring them into play. His skill on the ball helps him to beat his opponent in 1v1 situations effectively and create goal scoring opportunities for himself.
Jonah Lowes – Jonah is a technically sound player who plays as a midfielder. He has good vision and the ability to execute his decisions effectively which help the team retain, build and create positive attacks.
Seb Mason – Seb is a very athletic and quick winger who enjoys being 1v1 against his opponent. Throughout his time in the Academy, Seb has come through a serious injury which has given him a strong resilience and will-power to push on and improve. As a winger Seb can also weigh in with goals and assists.
Jack Porter – Jack is a tall and physical centre back who has developed well through the Academy. He has a good presence and has the ability to drive out with the ball. He has a good range of passing which can help retain possession or create attacks for the team.
Simon Rigby – Simon is a dynamic box to box midfielder who possesses good ability on the ball. He has a fantastic work rate and energy which helps break up play and win back possession of the ball for his team. Simon enjoys driving at his opponent and breaking lines with powerful runs with the ball and passes.
Casey Sillitoe – Casey has been recruited from Stoke City and is looking forward to getting started with our goalkeeping department. Casey is technically good with good distribution over both long and short range. He is a confident individual and that comes across in his communication with his team mates during training and games where he commands his area well. He is a good shot stopper and will add to the strength and depth of the youth team squad.
Academy manager Simon Friel commented: “Well done to all the players who have been offered and accepted scholarships for next season.
"I would like to thank all the Academy staff who have worked with these players across the age groups. I have no doubt they will be incredibly proud of the players achievements.
"I look forward to seeing how the players progress over their two year scholarship."
