Wanderers have secured the long-term future of one of their brightest homegrown prospects by signing Toby Ritchie on a first professional contract.
The attacking midfielder has signed a deal running until June, 2029 in a long-term commitment from the Whites to the academy graduate.
Local lad Ritchie – who was born in Farnworth – has been with Wanderers since the age of six and progressed through the academy age groups to become a full-time scholar in the summer of 2024.
The 18-year-old has since been a leading light in the youth team and after a goal-scoring debut as a substitute for the first team in last November’s Vertu Trophy tie at Oldham Athletic has now been added early to the professional ranks.
Wanderers’ Sporting Director, Fergal Harkin, said: “The award of a professional contract and the length of the deal shows our level of commitment and belief in Toby and is very well deserved on his behalf.
“He has always shown an excellent attitude and his aptitude has been first-class. He was the stand-out player in our FA Youth Cup run and has earned his place in and around the first-team squad in recent weeks.
“He still needs to keep improving and learning and now has the chance to do that with us. Developing players within our own academy is something that is very important to us and this shows the pathway that is potentially open and hopefully more will follow.”
A former season-ticket holder and ball-boy at Wanderers, Ritchie helped the Whites win the EFL Youth Alliance and LFA Youth Cup last season and the B Team lift the LFA Senior Cup. This season he topped Wanderers’ scoring charts in their run to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup and has now been given the chance to forge a first-team career over the next few years with his hometown club.
Head Coach, Steven Schumacher, added: “He’s a big Bolton Wanderers’ fan, which is great, so when one of your local lads comes to the academy and gets a professional contract it's great news for everybody who's worked with him all through the academy years.
“We really like him and we think he's got chance. He's got really good ability, he's a really nice kid, and every time he trains with us he never lets himself down and more than handles what's around him. I'm pleased that he's signed for a few years here and his future looks bright, so congratulations to him.”
After his first taste of senior experience in the Trophy, Ritchie then travelled with the first-team squad for their FA Cup second-round tie at Swindon Town and last week’s League One fixture at Stevenage before finalising his new deal.
“It’s unbelievable, for me and my family,” Ritchie said. “It's what I've dreamt of really, signing a professional deal with my boyhood club. Every Bolton fan dreams of signing for this club and I’ve done it and the hard work really starts now.
“I’ve got to try and keep pushing, train with the first team as much as I can and then hopefully start getting opportunities from there. The real aim one day is to go and play out there in that stadium every week.”
Watch Toby’s first interview as a professional with the Whites on Wanderers TV