The Sydney Swans are pleased to announce its third AFL scholarship position has been accepted by 15 year-old Central Coast resident Jay Lewis.

Jay is a versatile midfielder whose key attributes are his athletic ability and natural football instincts.

“We have monitored Jay’s development over the last two seasons and we regard him as clearly one of the most talented players currently involved in any AFL program in NSW,” Talent Identification Coordinator Chris Smith said.

“His potential growth as an AFL player is very promising and we look forward to developing him in to being able to play a broad range of roles.”

Jay started playing AFL at the age of 10 and two years later his U12’s team won the local premiership undefeated. He went on to win the ‘Best Forward of the Year’ Award in the U13 Central Coast Representative team in 2005 and was then selected to attend the Swans Academy. Earlier this year Jay played in the U15s undefeated representative team that played in the Melbourne V-Line series.

The AFL scholarship program is aimed at teenagers aged between 15 and 17 years. Under the scholarship guidelines, club’s can recruit up to two teenagers from the Greater Sydney region each year.

The Sydney Swans recruited Craig Bird and Ryan Bottin-Noonan in 2006 and now Jay Lewis has become the first scholarship winner of 2007.

Craig Bird has thrived under the Sydney Swans scholarship program over the last six months. He is the current stand-out performer for the RAMS and is an important member of the Swans Reserves team.

His development is attributed to being able to train with the Sydney Swans as well as partake in the day-to-day activities of the listed players, such as school visits and clinics.

Jay Lewis
D.O.B: 06/03/92
HEIGHT: 178cm
WEIGHT: 63kg
FAVOURITE SWANS PLAYER: Ryan O’Keefe for his fitness ability