The Blues have strengthened their coaching staff with the addition of a striker with over 500 professional football appearances.
Birmingham City has announced that former Wolves striker Leon Clarke will join the club as an academy coach.
The 39-year-old revealed in May that he was retiring from professional football after a 20-year career. He is currently taking his first steps in life after hanging up his boots and transitioning to coaching. He is studying for his UEFA A Licence, which will allow him to manage in the Championship, and joins to the club having managed Kidderminster Harriers’ under-18s team.
Clarke, along with physical activity educator Simon Pierre Yu’u Makengele, will be on placement at St Andrew’s for the balance of the 2024/25 season as part of the FA’s Club Placement Programme. Birmingham is one of numerous clubs that has collaborated with the FA to assist give opportunities for coaches from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
David Brown, Blues Academy’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead, said: “We are delighted to be a part of this plan, which also creates a pathway for future coaches for the Birmingham City Academy programme. “And it again show our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion across the City of Birmingham.” He later moved on to play for Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town, and Charlton Athletic on permanent contracts. Clarke returned to Wolves in 2013, where he scored three more goals before leaving to join Bury and then Sheffield United. He also played for Bristol Rovers, Hartlepool United, Kettering Town, and Mickelover before retiring. He played for 23 different clubs over the course of 20 years, scoring 156 goals in 555 appearances. He won League One titles with Wolves and Sheffield United, and he also helped the Blades gain promotion to the Premier League, where he appeared twice. Clarke was also promoted from League Two with Bristol Rovers.
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