Saints welcome new coach
Southampton Football Club has further strengthened its B team programme with the appointment of Lee Skyrme from the Football Association as Individual Player Coach.
Skyrme joins the professional development phase setup, which was revamped in the summer to closely mirror the philosophies and approach of the first team, working to ensure bespoke individual development plans are created for each player.
Before being appointed at the FA, Skyrme had successful spells at Cardiff, from 2006 to 2013, and Exeter City, from 2013-2016, as Lead Professional Development Coach with both clubs.
A UEFA Pro Licence holder, Skyrme then became a national specialist coach with the England men’s youth teams when he joined the FA in 2016, before being appointed head coach of the Under-15s side in 2019.
Southampton’s Academy Director, Matt Hale, said: “We are moving to a more specialist coaching model within the Academy structure, and Lee will bring this specialism with him having worked in a similar way at the FA with the England teams.
“Our plans going forward are to ensure players have bespoke individual development plans, which will help them develop further in their own areas and aligned with the B-team and first-team playing philosophy. The appointment of an individual coach in the B team reflects this focus.
“We welcome Lee to the football club, in an exciting new role and look forward to seeing the progress in the young professionals we have through this new model.”
