Gbolahan Okewoye and Charlie Parks are looking forward to taking the next step towards professional football after the Academy graduates committed their immediate futures to the club.
Okewoye signs an initial one-year deal with a club option following a successful two-year period as a scholar, where the midfielder played a pivotal role in City’s record-equaling FA Youth Cup run before winning promotion with Lincoln United on loan.
He said: “The past two years have been amazing so to get a professional contract now is a surreal feeling and I’m really grateful.
“The off-season will be used to work hard and get my fitness to a top level for pre-season so I can show the coaching staff what I can do.”
Parks has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Imps, which also includes a two-year club option.
The central defender has been with City since he was 14-years-old and established himself well in the U18s, becoming the captain of Sam Tillen’s side throughout the 2024/25 campaign. He will now make the step-up to the EPC with Okewoye for the 2025/26 season.
He added: “It feels amazing to sign my first professional contract. As a young kid you always believe you want to be a footballer but for it to actually happen and become a pro - it feels surreal.
“It is now all about going back into this pre-season as fit as I can, pushing myself to be the best I can be and try to learn from other players around me.”