Everton
Training Ground
Finch Farm, Finch Farm Training Complex, Finch Ln, Halewood, Liverpool L26 3UE
0870 280 5041
Academy
Finch Farm, Finch Farm Training Complex, Finch Ln, Halewood, Liverpool, L26 3UE
Academy info
Academy Category: One
Position in 2024/25 Academy Productivity Rankings: 4th
Academy Director (Interim): Carl Darlington
Under-21s Head Coach: Paul Tait
Football Leadership Team
English
Nick Cox
Technical Director
Job is to “ensure all aspects of Finch Farm are at elite level” and oversees Medical, Operations, Facilities, Player Care and Academy. Previously the Academy Director at Manchester United, a role he was appointed to in 2019, three years after joining United as Head of Academy Operations.
English
Nick Hammond
Head of Player Trading
Joined Everton in June 2025. Had worked closely with Chief Executive Angus Kinnear at Leeds United, where he had a consultancy role – as he did at Newcastle United. Was Director of Football at Reading from 2003 to 2016, Technical Director at West Brom and Head of Football Operations at Celtic. Before that was a pro player, making most of his appearances for Swindon Town and Reading as a goalkeeper.
English
Chris Howarth
Head of Strategy
Howarth joined Everton’s leadership team in June 2025. He launched three analytics companies – selling all of them – before founding sports data company Insight Sports in January 2024. Everton have now purchased Insight Sports as their in-house analytics function.
English
James Smith
Director of Scouting and Recruitment
Knows Everton well, having worked in their recruitment and insights team from 2003 to 2014. Then moved to Manchester United for a short period, before joining Manchester City. Was promoted to Director of Scouting and Recruitment for City Football Group in October 2023. Announced as part of Everton’s Football Leadership Team in June 2025 and formally joined in September.
Coaching
Scottish
David Moyes
Manager
Returns to the club for the second time, having previously managed them from 2002 to 2013. During that time the Toffees were transformed from relegation fodder to Champions League qualifiers. After Everton he managed Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham twice.
Scottish
Billy McKinlay
Assistant
Midfielder played for clubs including Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham and won 29 caps for Scotland. First assisted Moyes during his brief spell with Real Sociedad (2014/15) and then in his two spells with West Ham (2017/18 and 2021 to 2024).
Scottish
Alan Irvine
Assistant
Moyes’ Assistant at Preston, Everton and his two spells at West Ham. Has been a Manager in his own right, at Preston, Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom.
English
Leighton Baines
First-Team Coach
Was one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and played under Moyes throughout his previous spell as Everton Manager. Returned to the club as U18s Lead in 2022 and graduated with his UEFA Pro Licence in June 2024.
Performance
English
Nick Davies
Head of Sports Science
Joined in the 2025 close season from Tottenham, where he had been in the same role for a year. Has previously worked in this position for Charlton, West Ham, where he later worked as Head of Fitness, and Birmingham, and as Head of Performance for Norwich, West Brom and the Football Association of Wales
English
Jack Nayler
Head of First Team Sports Science
Joined in September 2022 from RB Leipzig, where he had been Head of Sports Science for a year. Has worked for some of the biggest clubs in Europe – Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Celtic.
English
Chris Wilding
Physical Performance Coach
Appointed in May 2022 after working at Burnley since 2021, and before that had a season as Head of Medical Services and Performance at Barrow in League Two. Formerly Lead S&C coach at Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers.
English
Jack Dowling
Physical Performance Coach
Worked in Everton’s Academy for almost eight years before leaving for a first-team job at Blackburn Rovers in early 2021. Returned to take his current role in February 2022.
English
Matthew Hawkes
Head of Performance Analysis
Promoted in August 2025 from his position as First Team Lead Performance Analyst – a role he had held since the start of 2021/22. Originally joined in July 2017 as Analyst for the U23s and promoted to first team a year later.
English
Sam Lee
Performance Analyst
Academy Analyst with Everton since 2021, and took on first team duties in September 2024.
English
Ross Morrisson
Performance Analyst
Became an academy performance analyst in 2018 at Everton, moving to the first team in February 2022.
English
Lloyd Parker
Nutritionist
Joined in October 2016, having previously been with the Salford City Reds rugby league team.
Medical
English
Adam Newall
Head of Medical Services
Salford University graduate who joined the club in September 2013 from Burnley as first-team physio. Promoted to current role, often known as Head Physio, in December 2021.
English
Mubin Ibrahim
First Team Doctor
Appointed in September 2025, having worked part-time as a Doctor at Everton in the 2024/25 season. He previously worked for Salford City – as Club Doctor for seven years and then as part-time Head of Medicine for just over two years. Earlier in 2025, he worked as a Doctor for the Football Association of Wales for four months.
English
Adam Johnson
Physio
Joined at start of 2022/23. Highly experienced, having previously worked in football for Stoke, Brighton, Millwall, Reading and Crewe.
English
Tom Gallagher
Physio
A physio with Worcester Warriors, London Irish, Fulham, and now Everton, where he’s been since August 2023.
English
Josh Jeffery
Physio
Joined in August 2024 from Burnley. Marked a return to Everton, as he had worked for the club from 2015 to 2023 as a Therapist and Physio, at both Academy and First Team level.
English
Joe Hinnigan
Physio
Has worked for the Toffees since January 2014, initially in the Academy and then, from July 2022, in the First Team. Has previous experience with Manchester United’s Academy.
English
Paul Fisher
Physio
Joined in October 2025. Previously worked for Tottenham from October 2018 to March 2025, as Lead Academy Physio and then First Team Rehab Physio. Also has experience of working for GB Basketball, GB Gymnastics and for Essex Cricket.
English
Jimmy Comer
Masseur
An institution at Everton. Began his career at the club in the mid-1990s under Howard Kendall.
English
Craig Yuill
Sports Therapist
Recruited from Manchester City, where he had been for a decade, in the summer of 2016.
Data Science
English
Charlie Reeves
Head of Insights
Arrived from Forest Green Rovers, where he had a unique role – analyst/ energy trader. Appointed by Everton ahead of the 2017/18 season. Was an analyst for four years before being promoted to Senior Lead of Data Insights in October 2022 and then to Head of Insights a year later.
English
Nicholas Coleman
Insights Analyst
Joined Everton in November 2016 from Crystal Palace. Worked in sport science for the Academy before joining the Insight department in late 2021.
Other
English
Chris Chiang
Head of Football Planning
Joined in February 2026 from Manchester United, where he was Senior Football Negotiator. Had worked for United for eight years, mainly as Head of Strategy, overseeing major football projects like setting up of their data science department. Was where he got to know Nick Cox, who was United’s Academy Director and is now Everton Technical Director.
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