Rochdale Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Michael Afuye.
The 22-year-old winger joins on an initial one-year-deal, having been at Avro FC for the past two seasons.
Afuye has trained with the squad during pre-season and appeared as a trialist in our friendlies at Chorley and Tranmere Rovers.
On signing for the club, he commented: “I’m so happy and so proud of myself for how far I’ve come.
“It’s great to be joining such a great set of lads and such a great environment.
“The last week has been great. I’m so happy with how all the lads have welcomed me into the squad.
“The training sessions have been great, they’ve been intense. It feels like a family and that’s the type of environment I want to be in.”
Head of Performance Services Kevin Gibbins commented: “Mikey is an exciting signing for the Football Club.
“He had significant interest from Football League clubs in the North West and we’re delighted to have secured his services.
“He is an exciting prospect for the future but has the ability to have a significant impact on the team and our campaign this season.
“Mikey will excite the fans with his performances. He is a skilful player with the ability to eliminate defenders both ways and has the capacity to score various types of goals.
“He has impressed both staff and players alike in his time in our environment. He demonstrates great humility and the hunger to improve every day, which aligns with the type of characters we want in our squad.
“Whilst it’s vital that we can realign the Academy with the First Team and accelerate the development of our own players – which Jimmy McNulty has spoken about at great length – this Club has also had a history in providing opportunities and developing players who have taken a less conventional pathway, such as Craig Dawson, Scott Hogan and Kwadwo Baah, who have all gone on to showcase their talents at higher levels.”
Gibbins also thanked Avro for their involvement in Afuye joining the Club.
“A lot of gratitude must go to Avro FC for investing a lot of time and resource into Mikey and his development, but also putting the player’s interest ahead of their own.
“The quality of the player we have recruited is testament to the work they have done as a club. They performed their due diligence and, alongside Mikey, had earmarked Dale as the best place for the player to come.
“The onus is now on Mikey and ourselves as players and staff to develop him further, to ensure he fulfils his potential.”
Afuye was born in Ireland and moved to the North West of England aged 12.
He joined Avro in 2021 and helped them to back-to-back promotions, from the North West Counties Division One North to the Northern Premier League Division One West, top scoring for the Oldham-based club last season.
Our new man could be involved tonight, when Dale travel to Walsall for the Wayne Evans Memorial Match.
Welcome to the club, Mikey!
Would you like to sponsor Michael for the 2023/24 season? For just £500 (+VAT), you will get:
- His signed, match-worn shirt presented to you at the end of the season;
- Your company logo on the Player Sponsor's Page on our official website and in our matchday programme;
- Two hospitality tickets to a game of your choice (subject to availability);
- Your logo will appear on our social media and scoreboard during team announcements.
Interested? Please get in touch with Matt (matt.davies@rochdaleafc.co.uk).
