Easter call-ups for seven more stars

As they celebrate the Easter bank holiday weekend, Carlton Town's Josh Harris, Tom Hutchinson, Joe Sheekey and Tom Spice and Radcliffe's Sheldon Barrington, Declan Lowe and Stephen Stretton are all hoping to make their debuts before the end of the season after signing their first contracts.

Radcliffe academy manager Pete Lofthouse is pictured with his students in a video capturing them signing before the NPLFA's coaches and tutors congratulated their latest graduates to first team football.

Before taking a break from their studies and training for the Easter holidays, an NPLFA spokesman said: "Congratulations to them all on signing first team forms for the club. An excellent achievement and we look forward to them hopefully making their debuts to add to the thirty that have done so already at the NPLFA."

To read the full of graduates, including to the pro game, click here: nplfa.co.uk/graduates

The NPLFA was founded with the backing of the Football Association at five pilot clubs in September 2014 to provide career pathways into the football industry with youngsters studying on two year BTEC courses.

Still the only league-wide academy in English football combining sport with education and now expanded to 12 members clubs, the NPLFA welcomed its fourth intake of students this season while launching a new higher education partnership with Loughborough University so students could continue their studies to degree level within the Northern Premier League.

For further details and information on the football education programme, visit www.nplfa.co.uk or contact the academy at info@nplfa.co.uk.

Images courtesy of nplfa.co.uk & @NPLFA/Twitter

Follow us: @evostikleague on Twitter | Facebook www.facebook.com/evostikleague