Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman has today announced that an initial restructure of the Sunderland AFC Academy has taken place.
Speakman began a review of the club’s football operations following his appointment in December 2020 and following the first stage of this process, SAFC has installed a new leadership team within its youth set-up to implement and support the club’s shared footballing strategy.
Lewis Dickman and Leann Cowperthwaite will undertake the respective roles of Academy Manager and Head of Academy Operations, as Stuart English becomes the club’s new Head of Coaching.
Both Dickman and Cowperthwaite have assumed integral roles within the Academy throughout the last decade and have been a driving force behind its continued category one status. Prior to a five-year tenure as Assistant Academy Manager at Birmingham City FC, English held the position of Head of Coaching at Brentford FC.
Speakman said: “A modern-day academy requires strong, collaborative and diverse leadership and we now have that in place. I look forward to supporting our new academy leadership group, as we strive to deliver a best-in-class youth system with a clear talent pathway through to the senior squad.”