The efforts of all those connected to Boro's Academy were recognised in an end-of-season ceremony at Teesside University.
The night celebrated not just the skills and achievements of players on the pitch in 2024/25, but also the manner in which they represented the club off it.
It was another season of progression for the Academy, perhaps highlighted best of all by the Under-16s' success in the Under-16 Premier League International Tournament last October. It saw Boro triumph in a competition which featured 28 teams across Premier League and Category 1 academies.
All youngsters representing the club from Under-9s to Under-16s were in attendance, with four individual awards handed out.
Academy alumni were at the heart of the evening, underlining the pathway which exists for players to make their way through the ranks at MFC.
Sol Brynn, Tom Glover and Shea Connor selected the Save Of The Season, which was awarded to U11 Charlie Scales.
Goal Of The Season was chosen by another two Academy graduates, George McCormick and Fin Cartwright, and went to U10 Jaxon Cook.
Academy staff picked the winner of the next award, which recognised the season's Golden Moment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this highlighted the winning moment in the U16 National Tournament, when Joseph Richardson's save in the penalty shootout against Norwich City sealed the silverware for Boro.
The evening concluded with the handing out of the Dael Fry Award, which recognised outstanding efforts off the pitch and was selected by Academy staff. The winner was U12 Ted Jameson, who wrote two raps which highlighted the power of the beautiful game and the unity of the Teesside community.
Here is a recap of some of the achievements of the age-group teams during the season...
U9s and U10s: The groups were led by Dean Grayson with support from Andrew Dorchell, Isaac Gamblin and Lenny Reed. They started the season with the U9 Premier League Welcome Festival, followed by a varied and exciting Premier League Games Programme for both age groups including Futsal and Premier 5s. Additional tournaments were added for the boys to enjoy at Leicester with Brighton and West Brom with Chelsea, and they also attended Manchester United tournaments with some international teams. The players also got to experience some cross-border games with Celtic at home and Hibernian away.
U11s and U12s: They were led by Micky Cummins with support from Lee Grace, Danny Fowler, Ethan Oswald and James Thwaites. It was a positive season for these age groups, who won the U12 Premier League Education Truce Programme to experience the Truce Tournament in Ypres, Belgium. This consisted of an education day exploring Ypres, the Menin Gates and war memorials followed by tournament football involving international sides Bayer Leverkusen, Toulouse, Anderlecht and Genk. Another win at the Pulcino D’Oro qualifiers in Leeds secured qualification for the finals in Italy next month. They were also involved in the Premier League Futsal tournaments, Premier 5s and U12 Premier League Cup. This was followed by additional tournaments at West Brom and Burnley and an international experience to Portugal in March for the Portimão Cup against strong foreign opposition.
U13s and U14s: Aaron Croft led these groups with support from Sammie Leigh, Jack Sadler and Craig Radcliffe. They enjoyed some brilliant experience with tournament football this season, including travelling to Portugal for the Portimão Cup in November, followed by Premier League Futsal, Premier 5s, national qualifiers and cup competitions. We also played host to teams from Bishop Auckland and Manchester United to pay tribute to the victims of the Munich Air Disaster with a mini-tournament.
U15s and U16s: These groups were led by Ian McGuckin with support from Chris Fairless, Greg Halford and Toumani Diagouraga. It was a successful season for these age groups, who started with a pre-season tournament in Northern Ireland with the prestigious SuperCupNI (formerly the Milk Cup). They followed this by winning the U16 Premier League National Tournament in October and also winning the U15 Number One Cup in Poland in March. They progressed through to the U16 Premier League Cup quarter-finals and also played host to the U15 Premier League International Tournament at Rockliffe in March. Meanwhile, two U16 players experienced their first taste of the first-team environment, making matchday squads.
A special mention goes to our goalkeeping coaches - Joe Fryer, Pete Jameson and Harry Flatters - who worked across and supported all age groups.
International Mentions
The following players were selected for England camps this season...
U14s: Billy
U15s: Tommy and Lennon
U16s: Anton and Bailey, with Cruz, Joey and Ike also receiving standby calls.
The club thanks everyone associated with the Academy - players, staff and families - for their tremendous efforts throughout the 2024/25 season.
