Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed some changes to the club academy’s management and coaching structure ahead of next season.
With the club’s former head of academy and development, John McDermott, leaving to join FA after over a decade at the club, a backroom shakeup was in order.
Spurs have now confirmed that Academy Manager Dean Rastrick, who has been at the club since joining as Academy Performance Manager in 2010, will assume overall responsibility for the Academy programme.
It was also revealed that former England international Chris Powell has been appointed as the Head of Coaching, Under-17 to Under-23.
After his distinguished playing career, Powell has managed both Charlton and Huddersfield Town and has also been part of the coaching staff at Derby, Southend United and Dutch side ADO Den Haag over recent years.
Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Ryan Mason will step up from his previous role as Under-19s Coach to become the Head of Player Development, Under-17 to Under-23.
They will be joined by Under-18s Coach Matt Taylor, Under-23s coach Wayne Burnett, Senior Academy Coach Paul Bracewell and Academy Coach Perry Suckling in the club’s new Academy leadership team.
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Speaking about the new appointments and the changes made to the structure of the academy, chairman Daniel Levy told the club’s official website: “We have taken considerable time to review our staffing structure over the past few months following John McDermott’s departure to join the FA, in order to clearly identify roles and responsibilities in each area of the Academy moving forward.
“We have a proud record of producing Academy players that can step up to our First Team and we believe Dean is the right person to ensure our player development principles and philosophies – intrinsically linked to our identity as a Club – will continue to evolve and be implemented as we move forward into the new season and beyond.
“We have an incredibly talented coaching team in place throughout the Academy and we believe this structure will also allow them to continue to grow and develop over the coming years under Dean’s tutelage.
“We are also pleased to welcome Chris Powell, someone our Academy has known for a number of years in his various coaching roles and his experiences during a successful playing career will prove invaluable to our young players.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Powell could turn out to be a solid acquisition for the club’s academy as he brings a wealth of experience to the table. Those who have worked with the 50-year-old, speak very highly of him both as a person as well as a coach.
It is also good to see someone like Mason, who knows what it takes to come through the system and make the step up to the first-team, playing a more central role within the club’s academy set up.
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