Atlanta United is negotiating with Richard Money to become its academy director, according to a person familiar with the discussion but who can’t be named because the hire isn’t official.
The hire likely won’t be announced until the end of March because any candidate coming from overseas would need to have visa approval.
Money, a 60-year-old native of England, has vast experience as a player, manager and academy director.
He played as a defender for several teams in England, including the Liverpool squad that defeated Real Madrid to win the European Cup in the 1980-81 season. He started and ended his playing career with Scunthorpe United, for which he made almost 300 appearances.
His coaching career includes stints in roles at Scunthorpe United, Manchester City, Coventry City, Walsall, and Cambridge United, the team that Atlanta United President Darren Eales grew up following because it was based in his hometown. Money also led teams in Sweden and Australia.
His academy and youth coaching experience includes stints at English clubs Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Coventry City.
Money would seem to fulfill the requirements that Eales has said he is looking for in a candidate to lead the academy, which will start this season and feature five age groups from ages 12-18:
- A track record of developing players;
- A track record of developing coaches;
- A holistic view of player development from soccer to lifestyle skills;
- A record of taking players from youth ranks to first team;
- The business acumen to handle academy operations;
The academy will be based at the team’s under-construction headquarters in Marietta.
“This will be a beacon for other youth clubs in the area to learn from,” Eales said in December 2015. “We want to drive the standard of coaching in the whole state.”
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