Portsmouth Football Club have appointed James Barlow as the new academy head of coaching.
He will begin the role in early March, having worked at Pompey as assistant professional development phase coach for the past two years.
Barlow said: “I’ll be looking at repurposing our culture, how we coach, who we are and what we pride ourselves on.
“The role also includes coach development and a strong focus on the player development pathway to ensure they are better decision makers and technically capable of progressing into first team football.
“I want to provide a fresh look at things, while supporting the good work that is already ongoing in the academy.
“Having been at the club already, I have those strong working relationships with senior staff and the first team coaches.
“I think that will help ensure it’s a really smooth transition, without needing time to connect with lots of different people. Now I want to help challenge and inspire in certain areas.
“It’s been almost 20 years since I first went to a Division One game with my dad and granddad, so this is a proud moment for me.”
"Having been at the club already, I have those strong working relationships with senior staff and the first team coaches."
Barlow has worked in the sport across a variety of different roles and believes that can help him in his new position.
He said: “I’ve previously been at two of the best universities in a performance coaching capacity at Loughborough and Nottingham.
“But I’ve also been in a first team environment a Boston United and at Nottingham Forest’s academy during their transition period to move into category one.
“And I’ve worked as an England technical staff member for their futsal side, going to two European competitions.
“I was also a teacher for five years, so I’ve got vast experiences that I think can help with coach development and the player pathway.”
Academy manager Greg Miller added: “James is a highly qualified coach, holding both the UEFA ‘A’ Licence and The FA’s Advanced Youth Award.
“His appointment gives us a fantastic degree of continuity, as he has been working with the full-time staff for some time.
“It also demonstrates the opportunity that exists here at Pompey for staff to progress at the club and develop their skills.”