Sunderland are looking for a new Academy manager after Lewis Dickman has left the club. Dickman, who was in his second spell with the club, is the latest member of the Academy of Light to leave the Black Cats.
He was appointed as permanent Academy Manager in February 2021 after eight months spent combining the role with that of Head of Coaching. Stuart English is expected to look after the academy on an interim basis while the club looks to appoint a permanent successor to Dickman.
English followed Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman from Birmingham City to Wearside in February 2021 and was given the Head of Coaching role at Sunderland. Dickman, 45, returned to Sunderland after five years working for the Football Association.
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He was appointed as Head of Coaching in September 2019, and then combined the role with working as Acting Academy Manager when Paul Reid left the club. He had previously worked as Youth Development Lead before being headhunted by the FA.
Under his stewardship, he guided Sunderland through two audits to ensure the Academy retained its Category One status despite the club struggling in League One. Dickman has also overseen a revival in fortunes of the Under-23s over the last 12 months, while the club's highly-rated U15s won the National Floodlit Cup in April.
Dickman is the latest departure from the Academy of Light. Goalkeeper coach David Preece and first team coach Phil Jevons also left the club last month, while Dickman's brother Elliott, who was in charge of the Under-23s, joined rivals Newcastle United last November.
Michele Di Mascio has also left his position as Head of Player Care, while Head of Performance Andrew Young left the club earlier this year after just a couple of months in the role. Sunderland have moved to replace Young by appointing Jamie Harley as the club’s new Head of Performance and Medicine.
Sunderland announced a new structure last week at the Academy of Light, with Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor joined the senior set-up on a permanent basis as first-team coaches. Dodds will also oversee individual player development and the pathway from the Under-21s to the senior team, with Proctor coordinating the club’s loan programme. A replacement for Preece has yet to be appointed, with Mark Prudhoe working as interim first team goalkeeping coach.
Following the progression of Dodds and Proctor, Sunderland are looking to appoint a senior professional development phase coach and a coach to oversee the club’s Under-23 set-up.
Harley has previously worked at Middlesbrough, and with Rafa Benitez at both Newcastle and Everton. Speakman said: “We are delighted to welcome Jamie to Sunderland AFC as we continue to invest in and improve our footballing infrastructure. He embodies the professional expertise required for this position and has the leadership characteristics required to develop our provision in this area, which is an important part of ensuring we can fully support all of our players for many seasons to come.”
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