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Swansea City is delighted to announce Mark Allen as the club’s new academy director.
The 57-year-old is appointed following Nigel Rees’ departure last month, and arrives with a wealth of knowledge and experience in British football.
Allen, who is based in Llanharan, spent eight years as Manchester City’s director of academy where he helped nurture the likes of Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho.
Most recently, he was director of football at Glasgow Rangers, where he was responsible for recruiting Steven Gerrard as their manager.
He starts his new role today, with Allen meeting staff at the Liberty Stadium and Landore this morning.
Swans chief executive Julian Winter was delighted with Allen’s appointment.
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“In Mark, we believe we have someone who can continue to take the academy forward and help the development of our players and staff,” he said.
“We underwent an extensive process with a recruitment agency for this position, and we were delighted with the high-calibre candidates who were keen to work for our football cub.
“Mark was the outstanding choice. He has great experience in football and is familiar with the ethos here.
“He has a proven track record of working with young, talented footballers at Manchester City and preparing them for the first-team environment.
“His success at Glasgow Rangers also stood out, and his involvement there shows he is knowledgeable of the requirements and demands not just at academy level but at senior level too.
“It’s an exciting appointment, and I am really looking forward to working with him.”
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Allen had looked set for a professional career in football, but was released by Swindon Town at the age of 19.
Following that, he earned a four-year scholarship with San Diego University, for whom he captained the football varsity team.
Allen returned to the UK in 1986 where he spent seven years with HTV and then 11 years with MTV, where he was appointed managing director.
After two-year spells each with Inside Out and Deluxe Digital, Allen joined Manchester City as the club’s director of academy.
Allen is also an Uefa ‘A’ licensed coach, and has recently gained a Masters in sports directorship at Salford University.
