Chesterfield Football Club is proud to join Clubs across the EFL in celebrating the Raised in the EFL campaign.
Raised in the EFL shines a light on the great work taking place at our Club and across the League to develop the next generation of footballing talent.
Alex Whitney, Gunner Elliot and James Sissons are the most recent success stories for the young Spireites. After featuring for the club’s youth teams, all three players have now had first team appearances at the club, with Sissons also making his senior international debut between the sticks for Malta against Azerbaijan this summer.
Alex Whitney
Whitney joined the club upon its return to the EFL and enjoyed two positive years as a scholar, including being named Academy Player of the Year in 2025, before integrating with the first team and signing a professional deal in July 2026. He made his debut in the EFL Trophy against Crewe Alexandra in the 2025/26 season and most recently made substitute apperances against Manchester City U21 in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy (EFL Trophy). Before signing his professional contract, Alex captained the youth team and enjoyed a short loan spell with Stocksbridge Park Steels. He is now on loan with Hyde United of the Northern Premier League.
Gunner Elliott
Gunner Elliott came to the academy at the same time as Whitney after being scouted from the Derbyshire Schoolboys county side. Through impressive performances in the youth team and an influx of first-team injuries at the club around Christmas 2024, Gunner became the club’s second youngest debutant after coming on as a substitute in the 2024 Boxing Day fixture at Fleetwood Town and subsequently spent a large remainder of the season training with the first-team, signing his first professional contract on his 17th birthday. He made his first senior start in the EFL Trophy fixture away at Doncaster Rovers in 2025 and signed a new contract at the start of the 2026/27 season. As well as his impressive spell at the club, Gunner has also featured internationally for Malta U17 and U19 and is part of the U19 squad to face Liechtenstein in a double-header Making his first start for Chesterfield he played Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Trophy.
James Sissons
James Sissons first joined the academy at the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign and strung together some impressive performances in the EFL Youth Alliance League and other academy squads. His impression resulted in a number of training opportunities with the first team and he was ultimately named Academy Player of the Year at the club’s end of season awards. This was followed up weeks later with his first professional deal at the club. His senior club debut came in September 2026 in the 5-3 win over Manchester City U21 in the EFL Trophy. He has made a name for himself in the Maltese national team too, becoming a regular figure in the senior set-up after rising through the age groups. His senior international appearance came in June 2026, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Azerbaijan. He is currently back on international duty for UEFA Nations League fixtures against Andorra (x2) and Gibraltar, as well as a friendly against Liechtenstein.
The EFL is a powerhouse of youth development, producing top tier footballers for Club and country. The EFL’s dynamic games programme, offering competitive fixtures from U9 to U21 level, provides young players with essential experience at every stage of their footballing journey.
Every Club in the EFL contributes to this success story – whether through developing players in their own Academy, providing senior playing opportunities to young professionals on loan, or supporting emerging talent within the First Team environment. Alongside this, the League’s holistic approach to player development ensures young footballers receive the tools, education, wellbeing support and elite coaching environment required to reach their full potential.
#RaisedInTheEFL
League‑wide impact continues to grow. Some stats from last season:
* 290 players made their First Team debut across the EFL.
* 174 Academy players made their professional debuts in the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy.
* 57% of players who completed their apprenticeships at EFL Academies received either a professional contract or extended scholarship at the end of the 2024/25 season.
* U21 players accounted for 23% of all Sky Bet EFL appearances.
* More than 2,000 young players took part in the EFL’s National Youth Futsal Tournaments.
