Derby County is pleased to confirm the appointment of
Matt Hale as the club’s Academy Manager.
Hale joins Derby after a period of almost ten years in a senior role within the youth set-up at Southampton, where he most recently served as their Academy Director.
Leading the Academy at Southampton saw Hale formulate the strategic direction and frequent evolvement of their Category One Academy and he was also responsible for the implementation of their Academy Performance Plan, which sets the objectives, strategy and tactics to fulfil its mission statement.
During his time with the Saints several players successfully made the transition from their productive and successful Academy to their first-team squad, while others have since gone on to forge professional careers elsewhere.
Derby County’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Pearce said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Matt to Derby County as our new Academy Manager.
“We conducted an exhaustive interview process to ensure we found the right person to lead our Category One Academy and it became very clear that Matt was the outstanding candidate.
“He was passionate from the outset about the prospect of joining the club and what appealed to us immediately was his ability to bring together an Academy to operate as a high achieving and thriving system for youth development. He also knows what is required from a Category One operation.
“Matt’s excellent skillsets and ability to create an environment to aid the development of our players and staff in the Academy really stood out. He has a very good reputation and we’re delighted that he’s joining us.
“This is a significant and important appointment and the amount of interest we had in the position, and the calibre of the applicants, was testament to the standing that our Academy holds. It is something that we are proud of.”
Pearce added: “As was made clear in a recent statement, there remains an absolute commitment from David Clowes and the board to maintain Category One status for the Academy. The appointment of Matt as Academy Manager, in a restructured and more operational role, is another important step.”
Hale said: “I am delighted to be joining Derby County as Academy Manager and I’m looking forward to getting started in the role.
“Derby County’s Academy has an excellent standing, so I’m eager to get down to work. I can’t wait to meet the existing staff and begin building excellent working relationships with everyone, including our young players and their parents.
“From the very first conversation I had with the club it was apparent that our values and vision for the Academy were perfectly aligned, so it was an easy decision to accept this opportunity and there’s so much potential to work with here.”
He concluded: “I am genuinely excited for what the future holds. I am ambitious and driven to build on the foundations that have been put in place by many people in the Academy over recent years.”
