Chelsea Development Squad Management

Neil Bath - Head of youth development

Neil Bath joined the Chelsea schoolboys coaching staff part-time in 1993 and has worked his way up to the top of the Academy structure.

In 2002 he was appointed assistant Academy director with a responsibility for the Under 8-16 age groups and in the summer of 2004, he became Academy manager. In 2011 his role was further extended to oversee the Reserves/Under-21 set-up as head of youth development.

A Chelsea supporter, he helped to restructure our youth development programme in 2004 as a greater emphasis was placed on the recruitment and development of local youngsters in London and the south-east. Over a decade later, the rewards can be seen in the fact that the majority of our new scholars each year have been at the club since the Under-9 age group.

Bath has also overseen the most successful period for the Academy in terms of tournament achievements. Following the FA Youth Cup triumph in 2010, our first success in the tournament since 1961, we have lifted the trophy in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The feat of winning four years in a row has only ever been accomplished once before in the history of the competition, by the Manchester United Busby Babes side of the 1950s.

Our youngsters were also crowned Under-21 Premier League champions in 2013/14 and secured back-to-back triumphs in the UEFA Youth League, the Under-19 Champions League equivalent, in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

Joe Edwards - Development squad manager

Formerly the Under-18 coach, Joe Edwards took charge of the development squad in the summer of 2017.
A former Chelsea schoolboy player who has been a part of the Academy coaching staff since 2004, he was handed the reins of the Under-18 side for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, in which the FA Youth Cup was won twice.
In his first season in charge of the side, we overcame Manchester City in a two-legged final. Our place in the final had been secured in the most dramatic fashion; trailing 3-0 on aggregate against Tottenham we managed to turn the tie around, eventually progressing courtesy of a stunning second-leg display at Stamford Bridge.
The following year, we advanced comfortably through the competition, beating Manchester United 5-1 away in round four. City were the opposition again in the final and a 4-2 aggregate win sealed another trophy triumph. The youth team were also Under-18 Premier League south winners in both years.
Edwards spent the 2016/17 campaign working as loan player technical coach, liaising closely with several players and coaching staff at their temporary clubs. He was also part of the England Under-18 backroom coaching staff that helped the young Lions win the Toulon Tournament this summer.

Development and Academy

Paulo Ferreira
Loan Player Technical Coach. Portuguese international Paulo made 217 appearances in the Chelsea first team over a nine-year period, collecting 11 major honours in the process. He is currently studying for his coaching badges alongside working with our loan players and is also a Club Ambassador.

Andy Myers
Development squad assistant coach. Defender Myers made his Chelsea debut as a 17-year-old and went on to make over 100 appearances for the Blues over eight years. He returned to the club in an Academy coaching capacity following retirement and spent the 2016/17 season working as part of the first team coaching staff at Vitesse Arnhem.

Mark Beeney
Development squad goalkeeper coach and head of Academy goalkeeping. Formerly a goalkeeper with Leeds United.

Ed Brand
Under-18s assistant coach. A former FA Youth Cup captain for the Blues, Brand has spent the past nine years coaching in the Academy.

Jon Harley
Under-16s coach. Harley started his professional career at Chelsea having come through our youth system. Played over 40 times for the club and picked up an FA Cup Winners' medal in 2000.

James Simmonds
Under-15s coach. A former Republic of Ireland Under-19 international, Simmonds played for our youth and reserve teams before returning as a coach.

Tore Andre Flo
Academy coach and Club Ambassador. Another former Chelsea player who played over 100 games during a very successful three-year spell at Stamford Bridge. Flo won the Cup Winners' Cup, the League Cup, the Super Cup and the FA Cup, also playing a pivotal role in our memorable run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 1999/00. He is currently studying for his coaching badges alongside his work in the Academy.