Nottingham Forest are delighted to announce that academy player James Clarridge has signed his first professional contract with The Reds.
The youngster, who turned 17 earlier this month, has featured regularly for the Under 18s and Under 23s this season and featured in the FA Youth Cup tie against Bristol City at The City Ground earlier this season.
Clarridge has also represented England at youth level, firstly featuring for the Under 15s and is now part of the the Under 17s set-up.
The centre-back, who has been on Forest's books for ten years, is delighted to be given the opportunity to continue his development with the club.
He said: "This is a really big step for me and I'm excited to continue my time with the club. My first professional contract is a big step for me and my family and it's a really proud moment for us all.
"I've been with Forest since I was 6-7 years-old after being spotted playing for my local team and with I've managed to work my way through the ranks over the years.
"I feel I've developed a lot, especially over the last year since becoming a full-time scholar and the attributes we have around the academy are really useful for me as a player.
"You look at the first-team and see the likes of Joe Worrall who followed a similar pathway to myself, and it's good to know that those opportunities will be there if I can reach those sorts of levels and he's someone that I really look up to."
