An emerging coach with a long history at Town
- Danny Schofield is the new permanent Head Coach of Huddersfield Town
- Winger had a long playing career with the Terriers
- Schofield also has plenty of coaching experience
Our new Head Coach Danny Schofield is a man that needs little introduction to most Town fans.
After famously joining the Club from Brodsworth Welfare in 1998 for just £2,000 – and, reportedly, some training equipment – Danny went on to become 23rd in the Club’s all-time appearance charts, making 285 appearances and scoring 46 goals in a fantastic decade with the Club.
Having made his debut under Peter Jackson as an 18-year-old striker, it was under Lou Macari as a winger that Danny made a spot in the Town team his own in 2001/02. He saw it all during his time in the blue and white stripes, with his highlights including a successful penalty in the Play-Off Final shootout win over Mansfield Town in Cardiff in 2004.
💪 THAT tackle from @JonWorthy8.
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) March 18, 2020
👌 THAT finish from @sc03y.
😉 The #YoungTerriers are in safe hands.#htafc pic.twitter.com/XWnGpxQdla
A mercurial, talented player, Danny had the ability to produce the unexpected and received a farewell worthy of his contribution to the Club when he departed in 2008.
He subsequently played for Yeovil Town and then Rotherham United among others, but it was during his time in South Yorkshire with the Millers that he started his coaching journey.
Whilst still playing at a great level, Danny had the foresight to make his first steps into coaching – working with the Under-12s, Under-13s and then Under-14s at local neighbours Barnsley.
A playing move to Bradford (Park Avenue) in 2015/16 also tied in with his next step in coaching, as he played the year in a Player-Coach capacity.
Upon departing Bradford, Danny continued to play whilst starting work at Leeds United with their Under-16 group. His coaching prowess was noted at Elland Road, and he was soon promoted to work with their Under-23 group – assisting Carlos Corberán. The pair enjoyed almost immediate success together, steering their side to the Professional Development League title in 2018/19.
Danny then decided it was the right time for him to lead a senior Academy side and moved to Middlesbrough to become Under-23 Lead Coach.
However, when the opportunity to return to Huddersfield Town came up in February 2020, he jumped at the chance. Initially working with the Under-19s and the B Team, Danny was promoted to the First Team setup in August 2020 upon the appointment of Carlos Corberán as Head Coach.
42-year-old Danny, who holds the UEFA A coaching license as well as a degree in Exercise and Sports Science, has been integral to the senior setup ever since, working closely with the senior players as well as helping to transition B Team players into the fold. He also led the First Team on three occasions last season when Carlos Corberán was absent – the 1-1 opening day draw at Derby County, the 0-0 draw at Blackburn Rovers in January 2022 and the 1-0 Emirates FA Cup win over Barnsley in the same month.
As Head of Football Operations Leigh Bromby explained to BBC Radio Leeds on Monday evening, Danny has long ago been earmarked as the next Head Coach:
“Part of my role is to make sure that plans are in place, and Danny Schofield – who is our Head Coach, working alongside Narcís Pèlach, is something we’re really excited about.
“He has a similar philosophy [to Carlos Corberán] and he’s really aligned to what the Club want. He’s someone we can develop and progress, but he has more experience in English coaching than Carlos did when we appointed him.
“We feel like we’re in a strong position with Danny. He’s had interest since I’ve been at the Club and has been offered good First Team roles [elsewhere].
“When Danny came here, we always saw him as a future Head Coach. We’ve spent over two years working with him for when the opportunity came.”
We’ll have a full interview with Danny on HTTV later today!
