Three years after his arrival at United, Nick Cox was promoted to the Head of Academy role in 2019 and became Director of Academy in 2022. Nick oversees the entire development programme, which begins with the Under-9s and concludes with the Under-21s.

 

Prior to joining United, Nick was involved in the development of Watford’s youngsters for 12 years and spent three-and-a-half years as Academy Manager at Sheffield United.

By representing each area of the Academy programme, our leadership team is accountable for the positive environment that we create for our young players.

 

Nick Cox - Director of Academy
Tom Curtis - Head of Player Development (U13-U16)
Dan Ransom - Lead Academy Psychologist
Dave Bushell - Academy Player Liaison Officer
Eamon Mulvey - Senior Academy Coach & Player Development Mentor
Ian Smithson - Head of Education
Jarrad Ince - Pre-Academy Manager
Jen Mildenhall - Emerging Talent Programme Manager
Luke Fedorenko - Head of Academy Recruitment
Mark Dempsey - Senior Academy Coach
Matt Walker - Head of Academy Performance
Neil Gittins - Head of Player Development (U9-U12)
Steve Higham - Head of Academy Football Operations
Tony Whelan - Academy Program Advisor
Travis Binnion - Head of Player Development & Coaching

Travis Binnion oversees the development of every Academy player aged 17-21, included those who go out on loan to other clubs. He was made lead coach of our Under-18s in 2021, two years after he began his role as United Academy’s Head of Player Development. Travis became the lead coach of the Under-21s for the beginning of the 2023/24 season, and coaches and manages our youngsters on the final step of their development journey.

 

Prior to his work with the Reds, Binnion was connected to Sheffield United for 20 years, representing the Blades as a player and going on to be the manager of their Academy team from 2016 to 2019.

Adam Lawrence took charge of United's Under-18s for the 2023/24 season, having previously been lead coach of the Under-16s for two years. Alongside this, he continues his role as Head of Player Development for our Under-13s to Under-16s, to ensure a smooth transition for players as they begin their scholarships.

 

Prior to his role at United, Lawrence had previously worked within Millwall's youth system as well as spending eight years nurturing youngsters at Charlton Athletic, first as a lead coach of the Under-13s to Under-16s age range and then as their Head of Coaching (Under-9s to Under-23s).

Mark Dempsey mentors staff and supports players across the age groups to ensure individuals reach their potential. He also works closely with players out on loan and take an active role in player recruitment.

 

A youth product of United himself, Mark spent 10 years as a coach in his first tenure in our Academy. Previously an assistant to former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at both Molde and United, Dempsey returned to the Academy in 2019 and became lead coach of our Under-21s in 2022. He moved into his current role at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Tommy Rowe is part of the Under-21s coaching staff, while also being available to play games for Travis Binnion's side.

The player-coach returned to United in the summer of 2024 after being part of the Academy before launching his professional career, which included spells at the likes of Stockport County, Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers, amongst others.

Tommy is able to pass on his experience and knowledge to his younger team-mates, while also furthering his coaching development.

Colin is one of our Academy coaches and has been part of our youth set-up since 2009, where he began working with the Under-13s. Colin had a long career prior to moving into coaching, making more than 200 appearances for Crewe Alexandra and Altrincham each.

 

Little works one a one-to-one basis with the attacking players in the Academy, having a profound impact on the likes of United's Marcus Rashford, who has played more than 300 times for the Reds to date.

Our Academy’s lead goalkeeping coach, Tommy Lee, began his career with United as a youth player and moved to Macclesfield Town in 2006. He transferred to Chesterfield in 2008 and went on to make more than 300 appearances in nine years for them.

 

In October 2022, Tommy was hired for his current role after spending two years as an academy goalkeeping coach at Sheffield Wednesday and a further two at Sheffield United

Former Aston Villa player David Hughes is part of our Professional Development Phase coaching team, having also plied his trade for Shrewsbury and Cardiff as well as representing Wales at international level.

 

He arrived at United in July 2022, having previously held roles as Head of Academy Coaching at both Cardiff and Southampton. Prior to his stint at Southampton, Dave coached Wales's Under-17s for four years.

Kevin Wolfe spent 10 years as Sunderland's academy goalkeeping coach before he arrived at United. Wolfe primarily works with our Under-18s, helping to develop their shot-stopping, distribution and much more.

 

Wolfe uses his wealth of experience to impart knowledge on our youngsters, helping to set them up for a career between the sticks at the highest level.

Supporting the Under-21s and Under-18s is just one of the areas in which our team of staff thrive. Throughout each week, our coaches flexibly teach, nurture and present to our youngsters to ensure they have the best possible environment to fulfil their potential.

 

In addition to traditional coaching, this may include working one a one-to-one basis, looking back at video analysis, giving valuable feedback and also guiding our players to apply the correct processes every single day. Our Academy staff are truly outstanding.