ALAN Nevison has returned to City for a third time as the club’s new head of foundation phase coaching and recruitment.

Nevison most recently served as academy manager before leaving for Leeds in 2019.

His new role will include working closely alongside current academy manager Neil Matthews and head of coaching Lewis Nightingale in a bid to develop the best youngsters across the Bradford district.

Nevison’s remit will see him work with age groups from under-sevens up to under-12s, overseeing the coaching and recruitment strategy for each of these phases.

He said: "It is obviously fantastic to be back. It is my club and I have been a supporter all my life, so I am really grateful for the opportunity.

"The role I have taken is about starting off the pathway for local players and giving them the opportunity to develop within our academy.

"Hopefully, we can get more scholars through and more professional players developed at the club to help us succeed in the future."

Matthews added: "I have obviously known Alan for a while now, having worked with him previously, and know he is the type of character we need at this football club. He goes above and beyond in everything he does.

"I am really pleased to be able to bring someone of his calibre back, and am looking forward to continuing to build on what we are trying to do here.

"We are confident of being able to tackle the challenge and get more and more of our players into the first team, and Alan's arrival is certainly a positive step on that front."

City chief executive Ryan Sparks believes Nevison’s appointment will further strengthen the club’s academy system.

"While we are extremely proud of the work continuing to be done, there are always areas in which we can improve,” he said.

“A huge part of Alan’s new role is to ensure the best young talent in Bradford stays here and develops as part of our academy.

"It is our desire to get more stars of tomorrow through the door at a young age and develop them to hopefully follow in the footsteps of the likes of Reece Staunton - who we have recently tied down on a long-term contract.”