Casey wins Scholar of the Year
Crystal Palace Academy forward Benji Casey has been named the club’s 2025/26 Scholar of the Year.
Crystal Palace Academy forward Benji Casey has been named the club’s 2025/26 Scholar of the Year.
Presented with the award at the annual Premier League Academy Awards evening at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday (13th May), Casey has enjoyed a sensational goalscoring campaign for Javier Alonso’s Under-18s side.
The striker netted an outstanding 19 goals in just 18 appearances across all competitions, recording multiple braces and two hat-tricks while boasting the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the U18 Premier League South at just 74.
His goalscoring exploits proved instrumental in Palace reaching their first FA Youth Cup semi-final in nearly 30 years, while also helping secure the club’s maiden U18 Premier League Cup triumph.
Casey won – and calmly converted – a dramatic 94th-minute penalty against Manchester United to rescue Palace from defeat and force extra time, before the young Eagles held their nerve in the ensuing shootout to secure historic silverware in front of 4,000 supporters at Selhurst Park.
The 18-year-old's clinical form throughout the campaign also earned him a deserved call-up to the England Under-18s squad for their tour of France, where he provided an intelligent cut-back assist for Reigan Heskey in a 2-2 draw.
His performances were further rewarded with regular involvement at Under-21 level, turning out 18 times for Darren Powell’s side, and he also scored the decisive goal in a 2-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach which secured top spot in Palace’s Premier League International Cup group.
The forward’s rapid development was ultimately recognised with his senior debut in Palace’s 3-0 UEFA Conference League victory over Shelbourne FC, where he produced an impressive cameo appearance from the bench.
“I am delighted to win the Scholar of the Year award,” said Casey. “It wouldn’t have been possible without my family, the Palace staff and my teammates, so I’m very grateful to them all.
“I hope to win many more awards as prestigious as this in the future. I also thank God for giving me this opportunity – I wouldn’t be here without him.
“This season has been full of great moments. We won the Premier League Cup and beat a lot of very good teams along the way, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Youth Cup.
“On a personal level, it has been a great season. I scored a lot of goals and had the honour of representing England, which was a very proud moment for me.
“But most importantly, it was about the trophy we won together as a team.”
