Academy coaching staff changes confirmed
Southampton Football Club is pleased to confirm changes to the Academy's backroom staff as four new faces have been appointed at Staplewood Campus.
New Academy Director, Andy Goldie, has made his first appointments since arriving in the summer after a handful of departures in the Academy coaching setup were confirmed at the start of the season.
Ricky King is set to join the club as Head of Coaching from the 1st October, making the move to Saints having spent time in coaching, methodology and coach education roles at New York Red Bulls, Vancouver Whitecaps and Swansea City, playing a significant role in the development of world-class talent such as Tyler Adams and Alphonso Davies.
Ricky will now lead the coaching department in the delivery of a new world-leading coaching curriculum from Under 9s to Under 21s in line with the new Academy strategy.
Adam Asghar will be taking the role of Under-21s Head Coach, following the departure of Dave Horseman and Louis Carey in the summer, with the Scotsman arriving after spending the last year as Under-18s Lead at Sunderland.
Asghar led the Black Cats to a runners-up finish in the Northern Section of the Under-18s Premier League last season and knows Goldie well from their early days at the Scottish FA and Dundee United where Asghar started as a Head of Professional Performance and later became a First Team Coach, where sixteen Academy graduates helped the club secure European football for the first time in ten years.
Asghar will take charge in the coming weeks, with the remainder of the new-look Under 21s staff to be confirmed following his official arrival.
At Under-18s level, Calum McFarlane joins as Head Coach after spending three seasons at Manchester City in various coaching positions, after holding prior coaching positions at Kinetic Academy, Tromsø, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
McFarlane has already been in the building for a month, having taken over the Under-18s at the beginning of the season.
Calum McFarlane has already started his role as Under-18s Head Coach. (Photo: Isabelle Field)
Finally, Jack Chapman has been appointed as Head of Academy Recruitment, joining from Swansea City where he spent the last five years.
Having previously held coaching and recruitment roles at New York Red Bulls and Cardiff City, Chapman began his time at Swansea as Recruitment Coordinator before being promoted to their Head of Academy Recruitment position in 2019; he has also already started his position at Saints after arriving in August.
On the new arrivals at the club, Andy Goldie commented:
"To replicate the success we have historically had as an Academy, it is vital we not only attract the very best players and staff but also then retain and help them maximise their full potential.
"The appointments of Ricky, Adam, Calum and Jack are the first steps in enhancing the level of support, opportunity and details we are striving to provide on a daily basis, and we look forward to welcoming the further appointments over the coming weeks."
