Yeovil Town is delighted to confirm Jamie Harrison has been appointment Academy Manager.

Present at the club for the last three-and-a-half years and helping to create the club’s academy, the former Southampton and Bristol Rovers coach will now take on the top position within the youth structure.

Having undertaken a number of roles in recent years, Harrison has a clear vision for the academy moving forward during his tenure.

“I have learnt from the many experiences in recent years and feel in a good position to make Yeovil Town Academy the best category three setup in the country. In a short space of time we have transformed the academy and are already seeing very positive results with the progression and development of players, coming from a closer working relationship with the first-team staff.

“We have made a positive start and now it’s about raising the standards of everything we do to ensure that every young Yeovil academy player reaches their full potential.”

With a host of under-18s featuring for the first-team throughout pre-season and continuing to work closely with manager Darren Way, Harrison is looking forward to continued development.

“The manager has given the young players a great opportunity to train and play in matches with the first-team, which our young players have taken and made the most of. We have a shared vision where we can develop our own young talent.

“It’s fantastic that Gabby Rogers made his competitive debut against Aston Villa in a great atmosphere at Huish Park. I am sure that he will go on to thrive in this new environment having impressed for the under-18s.

“More players are ready and capable to step up into the first-team from the scholars and we have an array of talent in the younger ages showing huge potential.”

With Harrison now in position, Chief Operating Officer David Mills, who is now the Executive responsible for overseeing Academy operations, commented: “I am delighted by Jamie’s appointment – in his other positions in the Academy Jamie has shown vision, leadership and clear understanding of the one club ethos that is so important at the club.

“During his time as Assistant Academy Manager, we saw a clear and immediate improvement in Academy operations, so I have no doubt that Jamie will prove to be a highly effective Academy Manager.”

Mills also spoke of the club’s revised strategy regarding the Academy, adding: “Until recently the Academy was run via Yeovil Town FC Academy Limited but bringing the Academy operations back in-house allows for much greater unity and efficiency across the group and gives Academy players improved links with the first team.

“This revised approach of even closer working is already showing some impressive results as apart from Academy players impressing in pre-season games, two scholars, Rogers and Tyrique Clarke, have been awarded first-team squad numbers by Darren Way.

“However perhaps the by far the best indication of how well the revised strategy is being effective occurred with Rogers playing against Aston Villa – the first time since 2015 that an Academy player has taken the field for first-team in a competitive fixture.”

The club can also confirm that over the summer there have been coaching changes in the Academy as contracts expire etc.

The club would like to place on record it thanks to departing coaches, who include Antonio Falanga (Lead PDP Coach), Steve Rutter (Head of Coaching), Adrian Foster (U16’s coach) and Paul Wilson (Academy Manager), with all four making contributions which laid the foundations for the new strategy being deployed this season.

Further key Academy appointment announcements will follow in due course.