Sunderland confirm major appointments behind the scenes at Academy of Light

Sunderland have confirmed some major backroom appointments as the club continues to build its infrastructure following promotion to the Premier League.

The new appointments include that of Shad Forsythe to the role of head of first team performance. Forsythe previously held the role for three years at Borussia Dortmund, and has previously worked for both Arsenal and the German national team.

He’s joined in the backroom staff by senior performance Luke Cooper, who joins from New York City FC having previously worked for Sheffield Wednesday. Sunderland have also announced a new partnership with INTRA performance group, as well as the appointment of Liam Howells as head performance nutritionist. A club statement added: “The process to appoint a Performance Nutritionist is also ongoing, with Colette Miller also joining the first-team backroom staff to undertake the role of Soft-tissue Therapist.”

The club’s Head of Performance & Medicine, Jamie Harley said: “Following our promotion to the Premier League, it was important to continue developing our provision across performance and medical. We are delighted by the impact our new staff have made alongside the wider team, with investment in personnel also underpinned by further developments to the environment and infrastructure at the Academy Light.”

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Sunderland’s busy period of rebuilding continues

The moves follow a busy summer of rebuilding behind the scenes at Sunderland, with Florent Ghisolfi joining the executive team as director of football. The club also moved to strengthen Régis Le Bris’s backroom staff, with Luciano Vulcano arriving as assistant head coach. Neil Cutler arrived as goalkeeping coach to allow Alessandro Barcherini to focus on wider responsibilities including individual player development, while Isidre Ramón Madir was appointed assistant coach with a focus on opposition analysis. Sunderland have also appointed a set piece coach for the first time, with James Brayne joining from Charlton Athletic.

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