Dons starlet selected for his country
Fifteen-year-old Judah Chapman has made significant strides since joining the AFC Wimbledon Academy three seasons ago – and his progress has been recognised with an international call-up.
Judah (pictured above) has been selected to play for Bermuda in the 2014 Open Cup, a popular three-day youth tournament to be staged at Decatur, Illinois, in the USA.
Judah’s participation for the Bermuda Under-16s will cap a fine season for the attacking midfielder because he has recently signed pre-scholarship forms with AFC Wimbledon.
Since being spotted by AFC Wimbledon when playing against the Dons for Elm Grove Colts in the Surrey Youth League, Judah has shown that he is a player with real promise.
Michael Hamilton, Lead Youth Phase Coach at AFC Wimbledon, said: ‘’Judah has immense talent and as an academy we have been thoroughly impressed not just by his ability, but also by his hard work and determination to progress. His recent displays against top academy sides from Southampton and Charlton has cemented what we thought of him. Judah has recently been offered a pre- scholarship with the club and hopefully this is just the start of a promising career’’.
Judah, who holds both Bermudian and British citizenship, moved to the UK in 2008.
Youth football in Bermuda has made notable progress in recent years and just last year the country's Under-16s won the Open Cup. The Bermuda National Academy aims to use this year’s event as preparation for the Copa México de Naciones in the summer and the 2015 U-17 World Cup qualifying rounds.