Portsmouth’s Conor Chaplin has been named the LFE Apprentice of the Year for League 2 at The Football League Awards 2015.
Chaplin received the award at the gala ceremony at The Brewery, London, on Sunday evening in front of over 600 guests from clubs, sponsors and the football industry.The Football League Awards 2015 mark the 10th year of the awards, which celebrate on and off pitch excellence across The League’s 72 clubs. This year all 72 clubs were nominated for at least one award.
Chaplin beat off competition from AFC Wimbledon’s Ben Harrison and Stevenage’s Ryan Johnson to claim the overall LFE Apprentice of the Year for League 2.
Chaplin has shown a professional and conscientious approach to all that he does and has enjoyed a positive second year of his apprenticeship following injury in year one. He is very demanding of himself and always wants to improve his performances, readily engaging with coaching staff to identify areas of development.
On winning the award, Conor Chaplin said: "It's a great achievement, it means a lot to me to make my debut, score my first goal. This is just the icing on the cake. I think the target for me next season is to get into the team, get some starts, make an impression in pre-season and come back as fit as I can and really push on."
This award recognises the outstanding young professionals at Football League clubs who excel both on and off the pitch. Players registered as a first or second-year scholar, or as a first-year professional, are eligible for this award. Judges took into account the record of the player in all competitions since he became an apprentice as well as his educational attainment, disciplinary record and any other outstanding achievements.
Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of The Football League, said: "The 10th Football League Awards has given us the opportunity to reward outstanding performance, both on and off the pitch, during what has been a memorable Football League season.
"Each of our winners thoroughly deserves this recognition and, once again, we've seen exceptional levels of talent, dedication and achievement across all our nominees."
The Football League Awards 2015 were streamed live on The Football League's official YouTube channel and website, while highlights will be shown on Sky Sports 1 on Monday evening at 6:15pm and 9:15pm.
To find out more about The Football League Awards, and for a full list of Award categories, please visit www.FLAwards.com or search for #FLAwards on Twitter, and other social media.