Ex-reds’ incharge Gow appointed Al Jazira’s new Technical Director
ABU DHABI: As part of Al Jazira’s ambitious plans to further develop their regional-leading academy, the club is pleased to announce they have appointed James Gow as their new Academy Technical Director.
Abu Dhabi represents the latest stop in Gow’s illustrious career following a wealth of experience acquired in some of the biggest academies and clubs in England, Australia, China and Singapore. He arrives following 12 successful years in various roles with Liverpool FC where he was most recently the International Academy Technical Director in Australia, managing and developing over 30 coaches while also initiating the sports science and a performance analysis departments.
The Englishman embarked on his career at Liverpool FC in 2008 as a young coach working in the club’s community department working on inclusion initiatives for children and adults with disabilities and work with youth in underprivileged areas.
Gow then took a role as a performance analyst intern in 2011 whilst studying at university, servicing both The Academy and the First Team and working with some of the world’s biggest football stars on introducing an individual player-focused development system.
Gow also successfully led the long-term player development programme during his time as Head of Coaching at Liverpool FC’S International Football Academy in Guilin, China between 2014 and 2015.
Gow’s appointment comes as part of Al Jazira’s latest continued efforts and philosophy to develop young talent from their academy.
Last season served as a great testament to the Club’s academy strategy, as 17 academy graduates featured in the 2020-21 Arabian Gulf League title winning squad. As part of the Club’s long-term strategy, it’s also seeking to further develop players to play abroad in Europe in the near future.
Commenting on the appointment, Al Jazira Chief Executive Officer, Ali Youssef Al Hammadi said: “We are very happy to welcome James as the new leader of Al Jazira’s academy. Today’s appointment of an internationally experienced Academy Technical Director is a clear testament to the importance we place on continually growing our football academy.
“Thanks to our leadership’s guidance and great trust in our home-grown talent, we take massive pride in being home to one of the Middle East’s best academies.”
He added: “Driven by our investment across all age-groups, we have a very strong structure in place to build on the great title-winning success of last season in the upcoming years.
“While Al Jazira’s academy functions with an eye on the future of the first team, our long-term plan focuses on developing young talent on both the sporting and personal fronts to represent the Club in the biggest global stages.”
Expressing his delight in joining Al Jazira, newly appointed Academy Technical Director James Gow said: “I am very happy to arrive at the home of the UAE champions. Al Jazira is renowned across the region for its academy and it’s truly a great honour to lead it going forward.”