THE Academy is delighted to welcome Hayden Gayle to the club as Lead Physiotherapist.
Hayden joins the club from West Ham United, where he worked for their Academy with age groups ranging from under 9s to under 16s.
Hayden will work primarily with the under 18s, who play in the Youth Alliance, but he will also oversee the medical department of the Academy and work closely with staff to cover all age groups.
Hayden says that he is delighted to have started with the Young Brewers and is looking forward to having a hand in developing the next generation of Burton Albion players.
He said: “I am very excited. When I first came for the interview, I thought this was a good place, a nice family club. That is exactly what I want, to be a part of something. Especially with the Academy, being quite young as it is, they’re coming on leaps and bounds to improve each season. I am also excited to improve the department, from my point of view, as a Physiotherapist.
“The Premier League is a different world entirely but it is not all about that for me. I enjoyed West Ham, I have supported them since I was young. I worked in the Academy there, mainly for the under 9s to 14s, with a month towards the end covering the under 9s to 16s.
“So, with this job, I am moving up to the under 18s but I have experience working in those age groups and I am comfortable. I am really happy here. Obviously, at West Ham we had on under 23s so if players were good enough after the under 18s they would go up to that team. Here, if you are good enough, you go straight from the under 18s to the first team, and I think that is a better process. The players are in the nitty-gritty, it is good to be in that environment working with (Academy Manager) Dan Robinson and (Professional Development Phase Lead Coach) Sam Rose.
“At Burton Albion, there is a great tradition recently of getting Academy players into the first team. You really do feel your worth working in the Academy because you are assisting in getting a high number of players into the first team, it has been difficult for that to happen at other clubs that I have been involved with.”
Academy Manager Dan Robinson said: “ We are delighted to welcome Hayden to Burton Albion. Hayden is a great addition to the Academy staff, he will bring invaluable experience and innovations from a Premier League club.”