Experienced leader in football to lead on Academy upgrade.
- David Wetherall begins a new role at Huddersfield Town
- Important appointment as part of planned Academy upgrade
- Wetherall one of the most experienced specialists in youth football
We’re delighted to welcome David Wetherall to Huddersfield Town in the important new role of Strategic Advisor to the Academy.
Wetherall, 52, has been brought in to work with Academy Manager Jon Worthington as the club begins the process of upgrading to a Category 3 Academy under the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) framework.
David is perfectly placed to advise on this process as a leading expert in youth development in UK football. He served in the highest position within the English Football League’s (EFL) Academy setup as Director of Youth Development for over 12 years, leading on the league’s strategy in deploying the EPPP at league and club level upon its inception in October 2011.
He was Academy Manager at Bradford City for two years beforehand, which came on the back of an impressive playing career that encompassed over 500 games, half of which came in the Premier League.
David, who is pictured above with Academy Manager Jon Worthington, started his work at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex this morning (Monday 4 September 2023).
Huddersfield Town’s Chief Executive Jake Edwards explained:
“We’re delighted to welcome David to Huddersfield Town today, as his appointment is a vital step in our strategic plan to expand our Academy.
“David is ideally placed to guide us through this process, having spent over a decade on the other side of this process at the EFL up until last month. He knows the rules, regulations and requirements that clubs need to fulfil to be a category three Academy inside out.
“Clearly a lot of work will go into the upgrade and David will provide vital specialist resource in this area. He is already working in lockstep with Jon Worthington, which has been made very easy again through their strong pre-existing relationship. His arrival will allow our Academy staff to focus on their vital day-to-day work in developing our talented young players.”
Jake added:
“From his first day at the club our owner, Kevin Nagle, has made our Academy one of the club’s key strategic pillars, both immediately and as a fulcrum of our medium and long-term plan for success. We both see investment in the Academy as being absolutely critical for the future of the club and its community, and David’s appointment is just the first step in that commitment.
“Our official application to move to category three has now been lodged with the football governing bodies. As we embark upon the next steps of the process, we will endeavour to keep our supporters right up to date.”
The Huddersfield Town B Team is back in action on Tuesday, hosting Morecambe at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex at 1pm. You can come down and watch for free!
