Lee to Front Town Link With Culford School - Ipswich Town News
Blues U18s coach Alan Lee is to front a new link between Town and Culford School while continuing his role at the club's Playford Road academy.
Lee, 39, is set to split his time between the Blues' youth set-up and running a new football programme at the school, which is close to his West Suffolk home.
"As an opportunity for me, I just felt I couldn’t turn it down,” the former Republic of Ireland international striker told the Bury Free Press.
"I am really excited to be at the start of something special and to be able to play a part in building it up.
"I love working for Ipswich and I am not leaving Ipswich, this is very much a partnership. I will still be working with the youth team and the age teams and the strikers, as I have been for the last couple of years.”
Dave Watkin, Culford’s assistant head, says the new venture builds on already existing programmes.
"We have been allowing pupils to combine their academic aspirations with their sporting ambitions for about 15 years now, in terms of tennis, golf and swimming here, and this is an addition to that portfolio of sport,” he said.
"It is very much about children joining the school, who are academically ambitious, but then being able to combine those academic ambitions with a real top quality football programme.”
Regarding the Blues, he added: "Ipswich Town have been fantastically supportive with what they are doing and they have identified Alan as the right man to lead and establish this programme and that is going to be hugely exciting.
"But we have got autonomy and control on the education and football we deliver to the pupils, and that is where I think we are distinctive and different to one or two other schools in the area.”
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