Rio Shipston has put pen to paper on his first professional contract with Sheffield Wednesday.
The talented midfielder, who turned 18 last month, joined the Owls at the tender age of seven.
After progressing through the age groups in the SWFC academy, Shipston has continued his impressive development both on and off the pitch this season.
The teenager has been a vital cog for our academy side and a key part of our current run to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
The Wednesday youngster has also tasted life in the senior set-up.
Along with featuring on occasion for the Under-21s, Shipston has trained alongside Darren Moore’s first team squad at Middlewood Road.
The midfielder also has a senior appearance to his name after featuring from the bench in our 2-0 win over Leicester Under-21s in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Shipston told swfc.co.uk: “It’s a dream come true, it’s massive to sign professional but especially at Sheffield Wednesday. It’s a big day for me and my family.
“I was at Hillsborough Pumas then we had a training session and they thought I was did well, so I came back for a trial and I joined when I was seven.
“I’ve been here a while and loved every minute of it. I’ve had good people around me, my family, friends and coaches at Wednesday have been unbelievable with me.
“The gaffer and the first team have been good and made me feel welcome in training and I’ve loved every minute. You don’t realise how good they are until you start training with them, learning from them is the best possible thing I could do right now.”
Academy Manager Steven Haslam added: “We’re delighted that Rio has committed to the club.
“He’s been a bright talent for a number of years and another one we have fast tracked along his journey.
“He’s got a high level technical ability and he’s been in and around the first team in recent months so he’s another one we’re looking forward to seeing develop and there’s more to come.
“When you play with the senior boys, the ball is moving quicker and you’re coming up against more technical players and that will only help Rio’s development.”