Dover Athletic No.2 and Academy manager Mike Sandmann expresses his pride at how many club youngsters gained first-team experience in 2025/26 season as defender Nazir Bakrin becomes first summer signing

Academy boss Mike Sandmann has expressed his pride at how many of Dover’s youngsters gained first-team experience during the 2025/26 season.

Sandmann, No.2 to first-team manager Jake Leberl, has been at the centre of several success stories in his position at Faversham’s Abbey School - where the Dover academy are based.

Among them have been the progression of defender Sean Raggett through the club’s ranks and, ultimately, into the Football League while academy graduates Luke Baptiste, George Nikaj, George Wilkinson and Rolando Onu have been part of Dover's first-team squad.

Sandmann helped the latest crop of youngsters claim the 2025/26 National League Alliance Division B title.

Teenage defender Enyinnaya Ezenwanne was integral to that triumph and also made his senior debut in the season-ending 2-2 home draw for Dover against Chesham United. It came after Ezenwanne, who moved to Strood from London at the age of 12, had experienced first-team football at Phoenix Sports.

Sandmann, who has seen striker Nikaj move on for divisional rivals Dorking this summer, said: “Enyi has been training consistently with our first team throughout the season. We also sent him out on dual registration to Phoenix.

“I think we had 10 boys out that were playing first-team football at different levels in and around Kent. Between them, I think we worked out they made more than 100 appearances this season from the academy.

“Our academy boys having 100 men’s first-team appearances between them is such an achievement. Winning a league is fantastic but I look at those sort of accolades in terms of the boys and their development.

“Having 10 boys playing first-team football this year is an even bigger achievement, in my opinion, [than winning