Chester-Le-Street United in partnership with Park View Academy of Sport are delighted to announce the capture of Michael Nelson who joins us from former football league outfit Scunthorpe United where he was first team Coach.
A distinguished player whose former clubs include Hartlepool United, Norwich City, Bury, Barnet, Kilmarnock, Bradford City and Hibernian to name a few.
Nelson made his name as an excellent defender who has amassed over 700 professional appearances.
He has managed in the football league and National league with Hartlepool, Scunthorpe United, Gateshead FC and Blyth Spartans.
Having worked as an U23 coach at Barnet, Nelson is very familiar with the professional game and brings a wealth of experience with him.
He will assume the role as Head Coach of Chester-Le-Street United where he will work with First Team Manager John Gamble to develop the players, this as the partnership between the club and the academy continues to grow.
Michael will become the Football Academy Manager overseeing Park View Academy of Sports Football Academy which is the pathway into the first team at Chester-Le-Street United.
Michael will shape the transition of the Park View Academy of Sport programme with Chester-Le-Street United which is the first in the country to have Under 19 players playing in the FA national pyramid system. This groundbreaking initiative saw Chester-Le-Street United play all young players in men’s football with possibly the youngest Northern League side ever.
This partnership allows players to train at Park View and combine their academic studies alongside full time football and strength and conditioning, as we hope to produce players capable of playing full time football.
Michael said “I’m really pleased to join the academy and look forward to working with everyone. I already know some of the staff in place and have seen directly how the academy operates, as my eldest son spent two years here after school.
I’m really looking forward to helping the players develop and preparing to play at the highest level they can. The academy already has a history of developing players to play at high-level non-league clubs as well as full-time professional clubs and that’s something we want to continue.”
Lewis Pendleton Director of Sport at Park View Academy Of Sport said “ we are delighted to have Michael on board. His experiences in the professional game are invaluable. His own journey into professional football is the exact type of blueprint we are trying to develop to allow young people the chance to play as high as they can. I am really pleased to have Michael joining us and I am sure that he will bring great experience to the academy and club”
Head of Football John Gamble said “We are delighted to have Mick in the position of Academy manager and will assist myself running the football programme alongside the Chester-Le-Street United project.
He came through from very highly qualified and experienced applicants in the interview process and Lewis and myself see Michael being a real asset to a very successful programme. He has an excellent pedigree as a player and a coach and it was a big decision to leave Scunthorpe for ourselves but we are positive he will enjoy what we can offer and the players will add benefit to our players both on the field and off it.”