Kyle Kirby joins Shrewsbury Town's academy as Salop's Professional Development Phase Coach.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club were earlier delighted to welcome Kyle Kirby to Town's academy set up as the former Walsall coach joins David Longwell's team as the lead Professional Development Phase Coach.
Following 16 years with the Saddlers in various roles within their academy, Kyle is pleased to have made the move to Shropshire and is looking forward to continuing the good work with Town's future stars.
On joining the Town:
"This is my fifth week and I will be working with and heading up the under 18's within the academy and casting an eye over our under 16's and all the way down to our Youth Development Program. I have really enjoyed being here and the staff have been great with me. I've had an outside experience looking in and the academy has really grown within the last two years since David Longwell came in.
"The philosophy here and way of working has been really good to see right the way through and I think that way of working will hopefully push our players through. I was at my previous club for 16 years in various roles. I've had a lot of different experiences but everything has helped me develop to where I am today.
"My time here so far has been really positive and everyone has been supportive in helping me with my role. The big thing is their support for the players. They always go above and beyond to help their development and that's really positive. The infrastructure here is really good and the academy is very ambitious. The view of the academy in regards to player development aligns with mine right across the board.
"The main buzz of the job is helping players develop and get into the first-team; that's the same for the other staff as well. Ultimately, there has to be a pathway and seeing that with the players who have broken through recently excites me. If our players work hard, they will get their opportunities.
"The current 18's are doing really, really well but they need to keep their feet on the ground. It's early in the season but they are an honest bunch of lads and they all work very hard. There are areas to work on and the players are hungry. The players who are in and around the first-team are setting a perfect example for our lads who want to achieve."
