Bradford (Park Avenue) are delighted to confirm that Yianni Abbas has signed a contract with the First Team, continuing another strong success story from the club’s Football Education pathway.
Yianni has spent the past three seasons within the Football Education Programme, progressing through the BTEC Level 3 course before stepping up to the HNC Level 4 programme this season while featuring regularly for the Reserves. Alongside his education, Yianni has continued to represent the U19s and gain valuable experience in senior football.
During the current campaign, Yianni has trained consistently with the First Team, where his performances, attitude and application have impressed the management staff enough to earn a permanent place within the senior squad. He now has the opportunity to feature across all levels, including continued involvement with the U19s and Reserves alongside First Team availability.
Earlier this season, Yianni also gained further men’s football experience with Thackley AFC after signing in August alongside Josh Owen, adding another important step in his development.
First Team Manager Craig Elliott said:
“Delighted to bring Yianni into the First Team squad. He has earned this through his impressive displays in the past few months training with the First Team.”
Lead Coach Owen Murphy added:
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate Yianni on signing with the First Team. I know how hard Yianni has had to work to get to this point, so fair play to him. He’s had to be patient and suffer different setbacks but he deserves it.
“Working with Yianni has been a pleasure as his attitude has always been spot on and his quality has got better each year he’s been at the club with us. He’s always been willing to learn and ask for advice when he’s needed it. Yianni has matured into an intelligent player and also as an adult.
“I’d also like to thank Craig and the First Team staff for taking Yianni in and giving him the opportunity to make his claim in our First Team.”
First Team striker Marcus Carver spoke highly of the young forward’s progress:
“Yianni has been brilliant in training and I am excited to see how far this lad can go. He is an intelligent young player with lots of ability, he’s sharp, tricky and has an eye for goal. He is also very down to earth and eager to learn off the senior players at the club, but all in all a great lad to have around the place.”
Vice Captain Jameel Ible added:
“Yianni has been training with us for a couple of months now and he’s been class in training. He’s impressed all the lads with his skill and confidence and fully deserves to be involved with us for the rest of the season. Hopefully he can get on the pitch and show everyone how good he can be.”
This season, Yianni has contributed 7 goals and 14 assists across appearances for the Group 1 Academy side and the Reserves, underlining his impact and progression at both development and senior levels.
Yianni now joins the First Team squad full-time as he looks to continue his development and make an impact during the club’s push for promotion.
For players interested in following a similar pathway, Football Education trials take place on Friday 6th February. Register here:
https://forms.gle/MdaG3HHYxvBgMzou8