Brown appointed permanent Academy Manager at West Ham
Kenny Brown played 82 games for the Hammers in the early 1990s
Written by Training Ground Guru — February 23, 2023
KENNY BROWN has been appointed permanent Academy Manager at West Ham, having held the job on an interim basis following the departure of Ricky Martin in November.
Brown initially returned to the club as Assistant Head of Coaching for the 9s to 14s in January 2022, before stepping up to the top job when Martin was named Technical Director at Stoke City.
Now Brown's move has been made permanent and he said: “Being named Academy Manager is a special moment. When I had the conversation with Mark (Noble) and he told me the decision had been made to offer the role to me permanently, I felt immense pride and I’m very honoured to take up this position with the club.
“For me, this is the ultimate job in football. This is where my passion is. To be the Academy Manager of West Ham means everything to me. I know how important this job is. It’s been interesting and enjoyable doing the job in the past few weeks. It has, of course, been challenging, but I think the way I’ve approached it has been completely open.
“I have a certain way that I like to work and the feedback I’ve had so far has been very positive, and I think that has shown with the environment we’re cultivating at the Academy.”
Noble, who has been West Ham's Sporting Director since the start of this year, added: “I am delighted to confirm Kenny’s appointment to the role of Academy Manager. Spending so much time at Chadwell Heath each week, I can see the respect the coaches, staff and players have for Kenny.
“He has always been brilliant with the boys, great with the parents, and I knew straight away that he was the right person for this job. Kenny has also got history with West Ham, which I love. It’s so important to have people who know and understand the Club’s ethos and values in these roles, and I hope, with my support, Kenny can excel in this role and continue help develop and grow the Academy of Football.”
Brown, who holds the UEFA Pro Licence, was Head of Coaching at Millwall for six years before returning to West Ham last year. He had played 82 games for the club across five years in the early 1990s. His father, Ken Brown Sr, was a club legend, having been an FA Cup winner with them in 1964 and a European Cup Winners’ Cup winner in 1965.
Category One West Ham placed seventh in TGG's Academy Productivity Rankings for 2021/22.
