Former Birmingham Academy Manager Mike Dodds joins Sunderland
Mike Dodds: Worked with Technical Director Kristjaan Speakman at Birmingham
Written by Training Ground Guru — September 28, 2021
FORMER Birmingham City Academy Manager Mike Dodds has been appointed to the new role of Head of Individual Player Development at Sunderland.
Dodds worked for the Blues for 12 years in a variety of Academy roles, before leaving last month. During his time at Birmingham he worked with Sunderland’s Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman and in fact replaced him as Academy Manager last December following his move to the Stadium of Light.
At Sunderland, Dodds will focus on “personalised development” across the Under-18s and U23s, “identifying and implementing bespoke programmes for each individual player based on their unique requirements.”
Head of Coaching Stuart English, who also worked alongside Dodds at Birmingham, latterly as Assistant Academy Manager, said: “Mike has a fantastic enthusiasm for player development.
"He’s incredibly well respected and naturally had opportunities elsewhere, so it is a great endorsement of what we are doing that he felt this was the right place for him.
“In addition to the teams, his focus will be on the individual aspects of our coaching programme across the U18s and U23s, ensuring that each player receives an optimised and personalised development programme.
“We believe he will be a valuable addition to our existing backroom team and we are delighted to welcome him to Sunderland AFC.”
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