Development of Management and Coaching Team

A decision has been made by the Manager, Karl Marginson, to take more advantage of the individual strengths within the management and coaching team. Chuks Akuneto, previously Youth Team Manager, has been brought in as First Team Coach and the Youth Team is now being managed by Dave Brown. This will free up the Assistant Manager (Roy Soule) and Head of Player Development (Darren Lyons) to contribute more in other areas that are vital to the continuing development of FC United of Manchester. Goalkeepers’ coaching continues to be managed by Paul Chapman.

Clarification of roles

Assistant Manager (Roy Soule)
Overall responsibility for club development including scouting, player development and liaison with the co-owners/fans. This modified role will mean less involvement with the current first team, especially on matchdays, as Souley will be using his years of experience out and about scouting for future players and watching upcoming opponents. Hence the addition of Chuks as First Team Coach.

Head of Player Development (Darren Lyons)
Work with Assistant Manager to improve player development, focussing particularly on young players and their transition from the youth team or junior clubs.

First Team Coach (Chuks Akuneto)
Primary responsibility for developing training and tactical plans throughout the club.

Youth Team Manager (Dave Brown)
Responsible for the Youth Team and liaison with Head of Player Development to bring players through to the first team squad.

Goalkeeping Coach (Paul Chapman)
Responsible for all goalkeeping training and development within the club.

The structure and interactions of the management and coaching team can be summarised like this: