Bradford City is delighted to announce Alan Nevison’s arrival as the club’s new head of foundation phase coaching and recruitment.
Bradford-born Nevison returns for his third separate spell within City's academy, having most recently served as academy manager until 2019, when he left for Leeds United.
His new role will include working closely alongside current academy manager Neil Matthews and head of coaching Lewis Nightingale in a bid to develop the most talented youngsters across the Bradford district.
Nevison’s remit will see him work with age groups from under-7s up to under-12s, overseeing the coaching and recruitment strategy for each of these phases.
He said: "It is obviously fantastic to be back. This is my third stint at Bradford City, now. It is my club and I have been a supporter all my life, so am really grateful for the opportunity.
"The role I have taken is about starting off the pathway for local players and giving them the opportunity to develop within our academy.
"Hopefully, we can get more scholars through and more professional players developed at the club, to help us succeed in the future."
Matthews added: "I have obviously known Alan for a while now, having worked with him previously, and know he is the type of character we need at this football club. He goes above and beyond in everything he does.
"I am really pleased to be able to bring someone of his calibre back, and am looking forward to continuing to build on what we are trying to do here.
"We are confident of being able to tackle the challenge and get more and more of our players into the first team, and Alan's arrival is certainly a positive step on that front."
The Bantams’ chief executive officer, Ryan Sparks, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been able bring Alan back to Bradford City, as we look to further develop and strengthen our fantastic academy.
"While we are extremely proud of the work continuing to be done, there are always areas in which we can improve. A huge part of Alan’s new role is to ensure the best young talent in Bradford stays here and develops as part of our academy.
"It is our desire to get more stars of tomorrow through the door at a young age and develop them to hopefully follow in the footsteps of the likes of Reece Staunton - who we have recently tied down on a long-term contract.
"I would like to take this opportunity to offer Alan a warm welcome back and wish him the very best, as he and Neil Matthews continue to develop our junior ranks."