TThe New Saints Academy are delighted to confirm their new structure for the 2026/27 season.
Moving forward, both our Boys and Girls pathways will align under the same technical and operational programme.
Next season we will operate a Boys Academy for U8-16s, Boys Scholarship, and Girls Academy for U13-U15s. In addition to this we have a U17 Girls team who will be an important bridge between our Girls Academy and First Team.
Our Academy Manager / Head of Youth, Kieran Lee-Birch, will oversee both our Boys and Girls pathways.
Christian Seargeant continues as Technical Lead, alongside his role as First Team Assistant Manager.
Daniel Copnall joins as Head of Coach Development, an experienced Coach Developer who has held similar roles at Everton and Shrewsbury Town.
Kieran, Christian and Daniel, along with Tristian Griffiths (Player Care Lead) and Ian Williams (Chief Operating Officer), form our new Academy Leadership Team.
Joseph Culshaw joins us in a full-time role as Girls Academy Operations Lead, alongside a Head of Phase role with our Boys Academy.
The technical delivery of our pathway will be led by our team of full-time Heads of Phase.
- U8-11s Cell Lead - Danny Blackham - who joins from Shrewsbury Town
- U12-14s Cell Lead - Joseph Culshaw
- U15-16s Cell Lead - Liam Kelleher
- Joint Youth Team Managers - Greg Draper and Simon Spender
- U13-15 Cell Lead (Girls) - Luke Barry
Dylan Downs joins as Boys Academy Operations Assistant and U12-14s Coach.
Our full-time technical staff are supported by Age Group Coaches Paul Bennett, David Lloyd, Jack Ellis, Simon Walker, Andy Hickman, Ieuan Jones-Wellstead, Jonny Hughes, Ash Russell, Warren Duckett, and Alan Jones.
Connor Roberts continues to lead our Goalkeeping Department, supported by Robbie Williams (Boys) and Dan Whittall (Girls).
Both our Boys and Girls pathways will also share the same specialist team of:
- Player Care Lead - Tristian Griffiths
- Sports Science Lead - Dylan-James Young - who joins from Crewe Alex
- Medical - James Steer, Kieran Guy and Shannon Davies
- Analyst - Ryan Morris
- Sports Nutritionist - Ellie Pentland
Commenting on our new structure, Academy Manager Kieran Lee-Birch said: "We are delighted to have everything in place for the new season. It has been a busy off-season with Ian and Joe restructuring and appointing new staff, but we are now in a really strong position. The calibre of people we have been able to bring in, alongside the people we already have in the building, is exciting. I would like to thank both Ian and the board for making sure we have everything in place to best support and develop our young people, both on and off the pitch."
Commenting on aligning our Boys and Girls Pathway, Chief Operating Officer Ian Williams added: "Our Boys Academy has been running for over two decades and is highly regarded as one of the best in the domestic game. Our Girls Academy will soon begin its second season. Last season was a good learning experience for us. By aligning both pathways we can utilise all our expertise and specialist staff to accelerate its growth and impact."
