Nottingham Forest are delighted to confirm that Warren Joyce has been appointed as Lead Coach of the Under 18s.
Gary Brazil, Director of Football Development, said: “After losing a coach of the calibre of Gareth Holmes, it is really pleasing to bring in somebody of Warren’s quality and experience as our Under 18 Lead Coach.
“Warren is acknowledged within the game as an outstanding developer of elite football talent. He has shown his ability to do that in a variety of football environments and at all levels – including Manager, Under 23 and Youth Development Coach.
“Having spent many years working under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Warren brings a real understanding and pride in creating elite environments to develop players for the professional game. He creates high expectations of players and teams which is vital in our desire to raise the bar even further in our Academy.
“After the admirable work of our Academy staff to attain Category One status, we are really pleased with our coaching line up at the top end of the performance pathway. Andy Reid is developing wonderfully as an elite Under 23 Coach and bringing Warren in to work alongside Tom Mallinson at Under 18 ensures our Professional Development Phase players have outstanding teachers preparing them for their careers.
Warren Joyce said: “I am delighted to be joining Nottingham Forest at such an exciting time with the club gaining Category One status.
“I did my coaching badges at the same time as Gary Brazil and have watched with interest the progress of the Academy at Forest and the fantastic players that have been through the pathway.
“I can see that there is a talented group of young coaches at the Academy who are keen to test themselves and the players. I’m really looking forward to being part of that team and working with the staff to develop more young talent for Nottingham Forest”.
Joyce made over 600 appearances as a player at clubs including Bolton, Preston and Hull City before moving into a management and coaching career initially at Hull and then Royal Antwerp, Manchester United and Wigan Athletic.
Most recently, Warren was manager at Melbourne City in Australia and then development coach at Salford City.
U18 FIXTURES RELEASED
Warren Joyce’s Under 18s will be competing in the Premier League 2 North Division in the club’s first season as a Category One Academy.
13 clubs compete in the north division including Premier League clubs Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Burnley and Wolves.
The Reds start the season away to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 14 August, with the first home fixture at The Nigel Doughty Academy against Leeds United the following Saturday.
The Reds youngsters visit Manchester United on Saturday 6 October, with the return fixture in Nottingham scheduled for the last match of the season on Saturday 7 May 2022.
The full fixture list can be found here.
More information on the Under 18 Premier League can be found here.