THE Jersey Football Association’s new under-16s team manager is Clive Richardson.
The 34-year-old consultant at Oracle Financial Services beat one other candidate to the position after being interviewed by JFA president Charlie Tostevin and vice-presidents Norman Parslow and Charlie Binet last night.
Richardson has been a coach with the JFA U16s squad for the past two seasons.
He replaces Mike Jouanny who has had to stand down because of his appointment as the JFA Chief Executive Officer.
Jouanny said: ‘Clive is ideally suited to the position, when I stood two years ago he ran me very close then.
I’m sure he will do a good job, he loves the development side of football and he has a very good way of working with this age group.’ Richardson, who now has to sever his seven-year coaching connection at Jersey Wanderers, said: ‘I’m delighted to be appointed and I see the position as natural progression.
I’ve been part of the three-man team for the past two seasons and the team is staying together but with different titles.
I will now be manager while Billy McEwan remains as coach and Mike Jouanny is staying as goalkeeping coach.’ Richardson says there is a good blueprint in place already and his aim is no different to any other manager by getting the youngsters managed and coached in the right way and then letting the players express themselves in development football matches.
Richardson added: ‘The squad will be chosen late September and it will be chosen the same way as previous years with club managers assessing their players first and then letting us know so we can have a look at them.
‘Once the squad is chosen it will not be a closed shop, we’ll keep an open mind and there will be opportunities for some not first chosen to attend, later on.
The development programme really comes to fruition around Christmas time; after the squad has been together a couple of months and played a couple of matches.’ Richardson’s time at Wanderers, who he will continue to represent in the C team, has seen him heavily involved in Wanderers gaining Football Association Charter Standard Community Club Status.
Last season Richardson won the south-west region’s coaching award.
Article posted on 22nd June, 2004 - 12.00am
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