Three of Albion’s scholars have signed their first professional contracts with the club.
Matthew Crowther, Rio Parmar and Noah DuPont were instrumental in helping the Under-18s reach the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals this term, and their maiden pros - two-year contracts until June 2027 - come as just rewards for their efforts.
Box-to-box midfielder Crowther has capped off a solid first year in B71, scooping the prestigious Academy Player of the Season award as well as turning pro within the same month.
Success has come Sunderland-born Matt’s way as a result of his work ethic and determination, moving away from his roots in the North East for the first time before jumping straight into the U21s side from the scholarship phase.
A big leap, but one the now 17-year-old has taken to impressively; participating regularly under Richard Beale and playing his part in the PL2 team qualifying for the last eight of the PL Cup, as well as featuring and scoring on The Hawthorns turf back in December.
Those experiences in the first-team stadium will be ones Crowther is motivated to obtain more of in the future, using recent milestones as inspiration to make the coveted step into the senior fold.
Attacking midfielder Parmar will have his eyes set on achieving the same feat following an influential campaign in the U18s, providing 14 goal contributions (eight goals, six assists) in 24 games across all competitions thus far.
Hailing from Northampton, the youngster’s journey to a professional is an especially fulfilling one having first joined the Baggies’ youth ranks aged seven.
A talented technical player, Rio has excelled playing in the No.10 role and exhibited his game-changing abilities on the biggest stages this season - scoring crucial goals in Youth Cup matches against Harrogate Town and Norwich City to help his colleagues progress in the tournament.
Those moments will live long in the memory, and Parmar will be hoping to make a similar impact in the final third at a higher level next year with more involvement in the 21s group.
Centre-half DuPont has already shown his capability to perform in the PL2 team this term and like team-mate Parmar, signs professional terms off the back of a long-standing association with the club.
Born in Worcester, the defender has been at Albion since the early age of six, progressing through the ranks and showing his qualities both defensively and technically when playing out from the back.
Noah is also a New Zealand youth international, making his debut at 15 for the Kiwis and featuring in the FIFA U17 World Cup at the end of 2023.
The 17-year-old has played 12 matches under Professional Development Phase boss Beale, in addition to familiarising himself with competing in first-team stadiums such as the bet365, Carrow Road and The Hawthorns this season.
Each of the Baggies’ new pros are well-placed to take their next steps, and Academy Manager Richard Stevens believes the “shift in focus” from the club’s hierarchy regarding young players only reaffirmed his staff’s confidence in providing the trio with their next opportunity.
He said: "The shift of focus at the football club with the new ownership group in terms of looking to invest in young footballers means we’ve got to be brave when we offer contracts.
"Historically, we’ve maybe left these decisions until a little later on and with these boys, when we as staff feel comfortable offering them longer deals and know they’re going to be around for the next couple of seasons progressing and developing, it settles them down.
"It also shows the club wants to invest in them and gives them the chance to get their heads down for a longer period of time.
"Matt’s shown that the route into academy football can come in all forms. He didn’t have the nine years in a club’s youth system others have before he came to Albion, which probably makes his story even more interesting.
"He’s got great ability, physically is really strong, and I believe his application and desire will take him a long way. Matt’s got all the attributes he needs at this club to go and grow a really good career because he’s an exciting footballer.
"Rio’s been here since the pre-academy phase and has had to deal with growth and development, be patient, but as he’s shown during his scholarship phase this year, he’s made some really good progress.
"We believe over the course of this contract, he can go and give himself a career which can take him to some good levels. He’s fully committed, looks after all elements of his football and it was the right decision from the club to give Rio a young professional contract.
"As a centre-half you need certain qualities, and Noah has those. He’s strong, competitive, has a good frame which will make him a really good, modern-day defender, and he’s shown he can cope against the levels above his age group.
"Training with the first team when they’ve needed players, playing for the 21s and particularly when they’ve competed in the National League Cup, he’s shown he can play against men and stand up to those challenges. The attributes he has will develop him into a good footballer and I believe our programme is going to help him do that.
"At Albion, we have to keep our young players at the club for as long as we can and try to get as many of them around the first team.
"Not all of them can make that step, because it is a gigantic step, but as we’ve seen this year with Tom Fellows playing a full season, Josh Griffiths has grown a career, and we feel the pressure and burden to produce more players like that out of the academy.
"That’s our job and we should be held accountable for that, but those examples are what the club desires and helping bring through more of those is what makes the staff’s world go around."
