Blackpool FC academy graduate Rob Apter has penned a new two-and-a-half-year deal at Bloomfield Road, which includes an option of a further 12 months.
The highly-rated Seasiders earned his first call up to Scotland Under-19s in September 2021, while impressing on loan at local non-league outfit Bamber Bridge this season.
Apter, now 18, achieved outstanding grades during his LFE apprenticeship, coming away with a D*D*D* in his BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport (Performance and Excellence).
He made the headlines after making his professional debut for the Seasiders at the tender age of 17, featuring twice for the senior team in the second year of his apprenticeship.
Speaking to the club website after signing his new deal, Apter said: “I just want to thank everybody that has worked with me over the past two years – from when I got my scholarship and my first professional contract. Danny Ventre and John Murphy have helped me get to where I am now and I’m excited about the future. The way that the manager wants the team to play is exciting.
“I would also like to thank Jamie Milligan and John Hills, who have been helping me develop on loan at Bamber Bridge. I’ve been learning the physical side of the game, as well as working on my defending and my decision making.
“Hopefully within the next couple of years I can get in with the first-team at Blackpool and make some starts in the future.”
Meanwhile, Academy Director Ciaran Donnelly took time to express his gratitude to Bamber Bridge, who have played a pivotal role in the winger’s development this season:” We must thank Bamber Bridge for their contribution to his recent development over the last four months, and to the coaches within the academy here at Blackpool FC who have given him the platform to be creative and be himself.
“Rob is a joy to work with. He has a hunger and desire to play football and he is a player who excites supporters due to his style. We see him as a player who has a real chance of a good career in the game, and he has a great opportunity at this Club of making that happen.”
