DICK BATE JOINS AS ACADEMY BOSS
C as the club’s new Academy Manager following a thorough interview and selection process.Dick Bateardiff City are pleased to announce the appointment of
Dick has agreed to leave his position as Elite Coaching Director of The Football Association to join the Bluebirds and lead the Academy through the exciting stage of fully implementing the Elite Performance Player Plan (EPPP) proposals introduced in summer 2012.
Cardiff City will benefit from the wealth of experience that Dick has gained throughout his career since he first started coaching 35 years ago. He has long been recognised as one of the most influential and knowledgeable coaches in world football having worked for the FA in a variety of roles – including managing the England u17, u18, u19 and u20 squads and heading up the coach education programme for the governing body.
He has played a major role in the design and assessment of the coaching qualification programme Literally hundreds or current and aspiring managers have passed through Dick’s courses as part of taking the necessary exams for their ‘B’, ‘A’ and ‘Pro’ licences.
Dick has also worked on the coaching staff of a number of clubs in English football including Sheffield United, Notts County, Southend United, Leeds United, Lincoln City, Hereford United and Watford.
As well as his work domestically, Dick has also worked as Technical Director of the Canadian FA in 2005, Technical Director of the Malaysian FA (1992-95) and run coaching programmes across the world. He is a FIFA Technical Advisor and FIFA coach and has also written a number of coaching books and made numerous DVDs which are still used across the world by coaches and manager of all levels.
Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay said: ‘We are incredibly lucky to have attracted someone of Dick’s calibre for the role. I have known him for a number of years and there is no one more qualified to take our Academy to the next level. He has taught me an awful lot across my coaching career and I’m sure that all of the players and staff in the Academy, and across the club as a whole, will be excited by the idea of working with him and learning from him.’
Dick added: ‘I’m really looking forward to starting at Cardiff. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to really get my teeth into an exciting project with the advent of EPPP and the steps that the coaching infrastructure has taken since Malky Mackay came to the club. It will be my job to make sure there is a flow of quality players coming through the Academy from the under 9s to the under 21s.’
Dick’s appointment concludes a three-week search, led by Manager Malky Mackay, Head of Player Recruitment Iain Moody and Head of HR Dawn Williamson, to fill the position following Neal Ardley’s decision to leave the club and take up the role of Manager at AFC Wimbledon on 10 October 2012.
Current Assistant Academy Manager Geraint Twose will work alongside Dick as part of the Academy Senior Management Team and will continue to build on the excellent work he has done since first joining the Bluebirds Academy in 2006.
Cardiff City are grateful to The Football Association for their help and understanding in releasing Dick from many of his obligations with them, allowing him to take up his position with the club soon.
