Nick Cox

Nick Cox

Director of Academy at MUFC

I was recently invited to present at a conference with the specific task of reflecting on more than 20 years of working in youth development and academy football.
My general conclusion? It has been a privilege to have the opportunity to work with so many young people in such an exciting and vibrant field.

I have been lucky enough to work in some academy environments that I believe to be some of the best learning environments for young people that there are, and I know that my experiences are generally replicated at clubs up and down the country. In particular, the programme we deliver at United is one that we should be extremely proud of. I am a believer that, given the enormous responsibility that comes with caring for young people, we should never stop looking to improve and refine the work that we do and the experiences we create.

Over the last 20 years, an enormous amount of work has gone into modernising the approach that is taken in youth football, both in grassroots and professional football clubs. As a result, I believe, football academies are amongst some of the most sophisticated learning environments there are. Football as a sport has more robust systems than other sports (we are blessed that we have significant resource available by comparison) and, most importantly, these environments are more inspirational than many other education providers and I include schools, colleges and universities in this. Continue Reading

Biography

• Qualified Sporting Director, Coach, Sports Scientist and Teacher.
• Currently employed by Manchester United FC as Director of Academy.
• Previously Academy Manager at Sheffield United FC. Ranked by the Premier League as the 8th most productive Academy in the country.
• Formerly employed at Watford FC in a variety of roles within youth development across a 12 year period. Proud to have seen Watford FC contribute 52 Academy graduates to its first team squad during my time there.
• Managers worked with include Aidy Boothroyd, Sean Dyche, Brendan Rogers, Malky Mackay, Gianfranco Zola, David Weir, Nigel Clough, Nigel Adkins, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric ten Hag.
• Players worked with include Jadon Sancho, Dominic Calvert Lewin, David Brooks, Aaron Ramsdale, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho.

Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the most successful clubs in world football, with a glittering history of success on the field. Manchester United have won a record 13 titles in the Premier League since the top flight of English football was given that new name in 1992.

Sir Alex Ferguson was the man who masterminded the triumph in the inaugural Premier League season, in 1992/93. The Reds went on to win titles in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013 – more than all other clubs put together to date.

Manchester United have won the FA Cup on 12 occasions – a feat bettered only by Arsenal’s 13 triumphs – and have appeared in the final 19 times in total. The Reds are also the only club to appear in an FA Cup final in every decade since the War.

Manchester United won three European Cups, the first of which came in 1968; that victory made them the first English club to win the competition. The other two victories came in 1999 and 2008. The club has also won the Europa League in 2017, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991, the Super Cup also in 1991, the Intercontinental Cup in 1999 and the Club World Cup in 2008.

After their Champions League wins in 1999 and 2008, Manchester United competed as a UEFA representative at the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. They were knocked out of the 2000 tournament at the group stage, but went on to win the 2008 edition, highlighted above, becoming the first English side to do so.

Manchester United Football Club, the greatest football club in the world, commonly referred to as Man United, or simply United, is a professional football club based in the Old Trafford area of Manchester, England.

The club competes in the Premier League, the top division in the English football league system. Manchester United’s collection of winning trophies proves that it is one of the most successful clubs in the world and its fanbase the largest.

Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Nicknamed “the Red Devils”, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910

Manchester United Foundation

We use football to engage and inspire young people to build a better life for themselves and unite the communities in which they live. Dedicated staff deliver education and community outreach programmes to help young people make positive choices in their lives.