Sunderland AFC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Graeme Murty as the Club’s new Head of Professional Development Phase.
Arriving at the Academy of Light with a wealth of experience, Murty’s professional playing and coaching career has spanned almost three decades and part of his role as PDP lead will be to oversee SAFC’s Under-21 outfit.
Born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, he began his playing career at York City before joining Reading in 1998, winning promotion to the Premier League during a 300-plus-game spell with the Royals.
The 47-year-old also had spells with Charlton Athletic and Southampton as a player, whilst earning four caps for Scotland at international level.
Murty was appointed Assistant Youth Development Coach at Southampton in 2012 before joining Norwich City as Youth Development Phase Lead Coach, later being appointed as the Canaries’ Under-18 Head Coach.
He joined Rangers in 2016 as Development Squad Head Coach and he enjoyed continual progression at Ibrox, becoming the Scottish giants' First-Team Manager following a successful spell as the club’s interim boss.
After joining SAFC, Murty said: “I’ve been out the game for a little while, but I can’t wait to get started and get back on the training pitch working with the team. Everyone at the Club has been very welcoming and I’m looking forward to building on the foundations that have already been put in place to help to ensure our Under-21s continue to progress.”
Head of Coaching, Stuart English, added: “Graeme stood out to us as the natural candidate for this role. His experience in a playing and coaching capacity is something that can greatly benefit those in the Under-21s and beyond, and in addition to his coaching duties, he will also work closely with our players on an individual basis to create personalised programmes to further enhance their development. We believe he will be a great addition to our coaching team at the Academy of Light and we are delighted to welcome him to SAFC.”