Glasgow Warriors hand professional contract to promising youngster - 'we are excited by his potential'

Former Scotland U20 co-captain puts pen to paper after impressive breakthrough

Ben Afshar has been rewarded for a breakthrough season at Glasgow Warriors by signing his first full-time contract with the Scotstoun outfit.

The 20-year-old marked his first start for the club with a debut try last month, running in his first score in the United Rugby Championship as part of the 40-7 home win against Dragons. The scrum-half follows Gregor Hiddleston in graduating from a partnership contract with Stirling Wolves, where he was a prominent figure in the 2023 FOSROC Super Series title triumph.

A product of Edinburgh Accies, Afshar was previously coached by Glasgow team-mate Jamie Dobie when studying at Merchiston Castle School.

Ben Afshar breaks the line to score his first Glasgow try in the win oer Dragons at Scotstoun on February 17, 2024. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“I’m over the moon to be honest,” he told the Warriors website. “It’s been a bit of a crazy year – to get so much game time and experience playing for Glasgow Warriors is beyond what I’d dreamed of this year, and I’m so excited to be here for the foreseeable future.

“The environment here is top-class; I love coming in to train here, it’s such a good group of boys and the coaching group is so good at identifying areas where I can improve and feeding back to me. Making my debut was an unforgettable experience for me and scoring my first try against the Dragons was unbelievable – I definitely got a bit excited when I saw TJ (Tom Jordan) make the break and heard the crowd roar! I just want to keep working hard and developing, and hopefully experiencing many more matchdays for this club.”

Head coach Franco Smith is excited by the future potential of the former Scotland Under-20 co-captain. “Ben has applied himself well throughout this season so far, and has taken his opportunities with both hands when they have presented themselves," Smith said. “He is a young man who is keen to learn and become the best version of himself on and off the field, continually looking to work with his peers and coaches around how to improve his game. We are excited by his potential and look forward to continuing to see him develop at Scotstoun.”