Huntsville City FC taps former English Premier League midfielder Jack Collison as coach
Nashville SC's development team, Huntsville City FC, is striking a balance between experience and youth as it builds its staff and roster for its inaugural season in MLS Next Pro.
The two clubs announced Wednesday former Atlanta United 2 manager and English Premier League midfielder Jack Collison has been named Huntsville City's first coach. On his coaching staff are assistant coach Omar Jarun, goalkeeper coach John Berner and player-coach Nick Law.
"I am very excited at the prospect of bringing soccer to Rocket City and building a team that really represents the community,” Collison said in a statement. “I will look to build an exciting, fast-paced brand of soccer that can bring success on the pitch in Huntsville, whilst helping to develop some of the future stars for Nashville SC. My staff and I are currently hard at work to achieve these goals and can’t wait to see everyone packed inside the Joe Davis Stadium, supporting a team we can all be proud of.”
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Collison had been Atlanta 2's coach since June 2021, having coached in the club's academy since 2019. He had cut his teeth as a youth academy coach in England, starting in 2016, at Peterborough United and boyhood club West Ham United.
The 34-year-old made 121 appearances for West Ham in the Premier League and the English Championship, as well as 17 appearances for the Wales national team. Collison also played for AFC Bournemouth and Wigan Athletic in England's second tier.
Collison and his staff are the third milestone announcement for the Rocket City team. Last December, former USL center back Liam Doyle was named director of soccer operations. Doyle, 30, retired last year after one season with Los Angeles Galaxy II. He returns to Nashville after playing for the Boys in Gold in 2018-19 while in USL.
Four days after Doyle's appointment, Huntsville City signed Canadian central midfielder Isaiah Johnston to an MLS Next Pro contract. The 21-year-old had previously played three seasons in the Canadian Premier League.
MLS Next Pro enters just its second season as a mediator and professional pipeline between Major League Soccer and its youth arm, MLS Next. Seven teams will be making their debut in 2023 in MLS Next Pro, including Nashville, which is the only club to house a team outside of its market. Huntsville City will be playing its home games at the remodeled Joe Davis Stadium, home of the former Huntsville Stars of Minor League Baseball.
Additional technical staff announced for Huntsville City are athletic trainer Luis Rodas, club analyst Matt Batista, performance coach Chris Romano, team administrator Caylor Feltman and equipment manager Sam Gibson.
For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssoccer and on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Huntsville City FC names former West Ham player Jack Collison as coach
