NPLFA trophy to honour tragic teen

A 17-year-old second year NPLFA student, the teenager passed away in hospital in Turkey last October nearly two weeks after suffering a heart attack while on holiday with his family.

Jordan's mum Nicola and stepfather Danny, who have set up a memorial fund to help charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) reduce the frequency of sudden cardiac death in the young through screening programmes, are pictured being presented with the NPLFA's newly named league trophy on Monday by Leek Town academy coach John Mayer.

The trophy, purchased by the NPLFA, the EVO-STIK NPL and Leek Town, was later presented to Jordan’s teammates at Harrison Park by his mum who told them how proud the family was that her son's name would live on among future students.

Pictured handing over the trophy to the youngsters in Staffordshire, she said: "On behalf of myself and my family, thank you for your continued support. It was an honour to accept your kind offer of the Jordan Burndred Memorial Trophy. It makes me so proud to see so many people coming together in Jordan’s memory.”

An NPLFA spokesman said: “Jordan was the model student, his application to both his studies and football was second to none. We wanted to honour his memory in the best possible way and renaming the new league trophy will ensure he will never be forgotten to current and future students."

For more information on the memorial fund for CRY visit: http://www.facebook.com/JordanBurndredCRY/timeline.

* The NPLFA's coaches and tutors are currently preparing for its expansion to 11 clubs and an intake of well over 200 students in September following its successful launch in 2014 at five pilot clubs.

Since then the EVO-STIK NPL has been widely hailed for becoming the first league in English football to operate a youth league and academy combining football with further education.

Launched with the backing of the Football Association to provide career pathways into the football industry, the NPLFA's 16 to 18-year-old students study on two year courses for Level 3 Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications while training on a daily basis with UEFA qualified coaches and competing in the NPL Youth League and national compeitions like the FA Youth Cup.

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