Harrison leaves West Brom to become Aston Villa Academy Manager
Harrison had been with the Baggies for 13 years
Written by Simon Austin — June 18, 2019
WEST BROM Academy Manager Mark Harrison has left the club to take up the same role at near neighbours Aston Villa.
Harrison, who has been with the Baggies for 13 years, takes over from Sean Kimberley at Villa Park. Kimberley had been with Villa’s Academy for 12 years.
The exit leaves West Brom looking for both a new Academy Manager and first-team boss. Jimmy Shan had held the latter role on a caretaker basis following the sacking of Darren Moore in March, but is now set to move back to first-team coach.
Villa CEO Christian Purslow said: “Aston Villa is a football club steeped in a rich tradition of producing its own players. Mark’s appointment is another cornerstone of the process and journey that we set out upon last summer.
“As a football club, we want a clear pathway right through the academy to the first-team with outstanding recruitment and development.
I have every confidence that Mark, working closely with Dean Smith and Jesus Garcia Pitarch, will build an excellent academy that will be able to nurture the next generation of stars to entertain the crowds at Villa Park.”
Villa and West Brom are both Category 1 Academies. Premier League newcomers Villa placed 10th in our Academy Productivity Rankings for 2017/18, while West Brom were 17th.
