Brighton & Hove Albion’s assistant manager Amy Merricks has been appointed the head coach of England’s Under-19 side.
FAWSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official press release from The Football Association this morning.
Merricks joins the England set-up after spending the last eight years with Brighton & Hove Albion. Merricks initially joined The Seagulls in a development squad head coach capacity before working under Hope Powell as her assistant manager.
During her time with the Sussex club, Merricks has stepped up to become interim manager on three occasions. When leading the team, Merricks has raised the standards, brought the players together and has got some impressive performances and results out of them.
Merricks is one of the brightest young coaches in the country and her appointment in an England role is a well-deserved reward for her hard work.
After agreeing to become the head coach of England Under-19s, Merricks said “I am incredibly excited. It is an absolute honour to represent my country and join the England pathway. I am really grateful to The FA in general and Kay Cossington for the
opportunity at such a pivotal time for the women’s game and the Lionesses and I can’t wait to get started.
“I have had a fantastic experience at Brighton. I have been with the club for eight years, starting with the Under-13s and the reserves, and progressing to the women’s first team. That has been a journey in itself but the time has come to take on a new challenge. The positive experiences and challenges I have had along the way are going to hold me in great stead going forward.
“With the progress that the England senior team have made under Sarina Wiegman, it is important we support that winning culture across the age groups so that players can be prepared to compete on the world stage.
“You can see that Sarina has a passion for ensuring young players have an opportunity when they deserve the chance. I’m looking forward to bringing knowledge and experience of developing individuals and teams domestically to ensure we continue to develop exciting young talent which can play a part in the Lionesses thriving.”
Merricks will work within The FA’s development team set-up which is led by former Scotland manager Shelley Kerr.
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