Spartans Manager Suzy Shepherd continues to reap rewards from the investment made in the Club’s Player Pathway system by signing teenagers Tegan Reynolds & Georgia Adderley ahead of the 2017 SWPL 1 season.
The schoolgirl pair have been training with the senior squad over pre-season and Shepherd is delighted with the progress the two promising Spartans starlets have made.
Speaking of her call-up to the Women’s squad, Central Midfielder Tegan Reynolds said, “It’s a big step up for me and I feel really privileged to play for the Ladies team as I’d only just moved up from the Under 17s. I’m excited for the opportunity offered by Suzy to be part of the team.
The 17 year old WHEC student joined the club in 2014 and has already enjoyed two successful summer seasons within the Under 17 set-up, “I’d played here before with my previous team and I really liked the facilities so I thought ‘I might try this place out’. It’s got a really good reputation, especially for it’s Ladies team but also for the Mens team too.”
Meanwhile, Georgia Adderley completes a busy and successful January by putting pen to paper at a club she has been part of for more than half her life!
Having just turned 16 at the beginning of the year, the young Centre Back can already boast of being part of the Spartans Family for almost a decade! Adderley, who is part of the Scotland u16s Women’s team, played for the Under 11s when she was in Primary 4 (yes, a mere 7 years old!).
Not only does Georgia excel at football, but she is a teenage sensation with a much smaller ball within the tighter confines of the squash court. Ranked 187th in the World within the Women’s circuit, the Scottish Under 19s No.1 has already defeated top seed Sanne Veldkamp this year in the Edinburgh Sports Club Open.
An ebullient Adderley commented of her signing news, “I’m really thrilled to be asked to sign for the SWPL side. Training is really good fun and to be honest, I just enjoy my football.
“I want to train hard and keep improving. We play at a high pace and I’m getting used to moving the ball a lot quicker than you had to at 17s. It also helps improve my decision making and ability to distribute from the back.
“For the year ahead, I want to ensure we achieve the goals we have set as a team and me as an individual, not only here but within the Scotland set-up too.”
Manager Suzy Shepherd added, “It’s great that another two have come through the ranks, taking it to five players in the current squad who have developed within the Spartans system and long may that continue.
“The player pathway is really important to a club like Spartans as it embraces organic growth. We want our players to stay here and to ensure there are teams throughout the structure for them to progress within the age groups then onto adult football.
“We will always look to develop and promote our own players through the Youth System in the first instance before looking elsewhere.”