Portadown Football Club is delighted to announce that James Wright has signed his first professional contract, committing his future to the club.
James joined Portadown from Lurgan Town in 2022, progressing through our U16s, U18s and reserve teams before spending time at Dromore Amateurs in the first part of this season to gain experience of competitive football within an older age group environment.
The 19 year old 6 foot 3 goalkeeper has spent the last 18 months under the tutelage of first team goalkeeper coach, Simon Hunter who describes him as a shot stopper with great distribution and excels at claiming crosses into the box.
James was part of the NIFL scholarship select squad who won the U19 Dallas Cup back in April 2025 with victory over Everton at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.
Portadown reserve manager, Andy Newell had the following comments on James signing his first professional contract
It’s fantastic to see the club invest in James future, there is no doubt he has all the key attributes to be a top quality goalkeeper in the Irish League.
He is getting a taste of senior football this season that will only enhance his development and build on the hard work he has put in playing for the reserves over the past couple years.
