Millfield student signs professional contract with Ipswich Town

Millfield footballer Charlie Binns has signed a two-year contract with Championship club, Ipswich Town.  

18-year-old goalkeeper Charlie, from Chard, who is in Upper Sixth currently taking his exams said, “I have been lucky to go into several fantastic clubs over the last eight months, but Ipswich felt like a great fit for me and ideal for the next stage of my development. They are a big club with an impressive history.”  

Recently promoted to The Championship, Ipswich signed old Millfieldian Tyrone Mings in 2012, who stayed with the club for three seasons in his early career.  

Charlie joined Millfield in Lower Sixth to improve his football with the Millfield football programme, “The football programme is great because I can train up to six times a week which includes three dedicated goalkeeper sessions as well as team training. I also have a specialised strength and conditioning programme. We play in various leagues and cup competitions all over England and I also had the chance to be selected for the ISFA U18 National team which further helped my development” he said. Charlie also receives specialised goalkeeper training on the programme, “My goalkeeper coach, Steven Phillips, is a top-class coach. He is an ex-professional having played over 600 times in the Football League. To have a coach of his calibre has been hugely important for my development, as well as being able to tap into his years of experience as a pro. He drives me on to improve every session which is exactly what I want.” Millfield Goalkeeping coach, Steven Phillips said “I could not be prouder of this young man, I know how hard it is to achieve what Charlie has achieved.”  

When speaking about his favourite thing about Millfield, Charlie said, “Definitely the Millfield football programme, the amount of time I can dedicate to my training, as well as the amazing sports facilities on offer.” On the programme players keen to excel in football are nurtured from Year 9, and those who show promise are put into the performance programme.  Millfield Head of Football, Steve Perkins said, “It is fantastic to see Charlie's hard work and dedication for the game has paid off. Charlie joined Millfield with only a couple of year's experience as a goalkeeper, and showed huge potential to progress at a fast rate. He fully deserves this opportunity, and we can't wait to see how he progresses in the future.” 

Charlie is still able to keep up with schoolwork, “I’m doing three A levels in Business, History, and PE. Sometimes I find it hard to juggle my schoolwork and my football, but training sessions are planned around my lessons and the staff here are always available for extra support if needed, as well as being very good at ensuring I keep up with my academic deadlines.”