Melbourne City teenager Lawrence Wong has signed his first professional contract with the Isuzu UTE A-League club.
Described as one of City’s brightest academy talents, the 16-year-old creative attacking midfielder has penned a three-year scholarship contract with an option for a further year.
Wong is the second player – after Jayden Necovski – to complete City’s full Player Development Pathway, transitioning from City Football Schools through the Club’s Academy teams to signing a first-team contract having first arrived in July 2019.
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A foot injury sidelined Wong for the first half of the 2024 VPL1 season but he has returned to score three goals in nine appearances, while the young gun has been training with Aurelio Vidmar’s first team in the early stages of pre-season.
“I’m really excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Wong said.
“For every kid in the Academy, it is always a dream to sign with the first team. It’s been a long journey to get to this point, but the hard work is just starting now and it’s only the beginning for me.”
Wong is the latest City academy star to earn an A-Leagues contract.
He follows in the footsteps of Necovski, Medin Memeti (promoted) and Harry Shillington at Casey Fields.
“Since joining our Academy Lawrence has shown he is a very talented player, particularly in the
past 18 months where his physical development has accelerated significantly,” said director of football Michael Petrillo.
“He’s made his mark at every age group in our Academy and having watched him in training
with our senior squad so far this pre-season, he does not look out of place.
“If he continues to work hard and take his opportunities, I believe he will be a player that City fans will enjoy watching for years to come.”
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“Lawrence’s dedication and resilience have been evident throughout his journey in the
Academy,” said senior academy manager Simon Zappia.
“In the early days he was one of the hardest working through the COVID lockdowns and in recent years, he has had to battle through several long-term injuries. It’s fantastic to see he has now got the reward for his hard work.
“Lawrence likes to express himself both on and off the pitch and I look forward to seeing his technical qualities and creativity on the ball shine in our first team environment.”
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