Former Nottingham Forest boss Colin Calderwood has agreed to to become the first head coach of Northampton Town's International Football Academy amid speculation he was set to return to the Reds.
The Scot had been tipped to become part of the backroom staff at the City Ground in the wake of Chris Hughton's appointment on Tuesday having previously been his assistant at Brighton, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.
But Northampton have announced that Calderwood will take up his new role with academy set to launch in the New Year and the former Tottenham defender is looking forward to the challenge.
Calderwood, who managed Forest from 2006 to 2008, said: “This is something different to what I’ve been used to, but it represents a worthwhile challenge for me.
“It has the freshness of a completely new project, with a different way to teach, learn and improve.
“I won’t be working with a focus on a game every Saturday but designing a structure and a syllabus to a greater extent than ever before, which is an attractive proposition. I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Graham Starmer, NTFC IFA managing director, said: “The target of opening in January is fast approaching and we are very privileged that Colin will be joining us in this role and sharing his insight into the professional game.
“His knowledge and passion will enhance the quality of what we are offering considerably, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome him.
“Our students will be extremely fortunate to benefit from the experiences of someone who has more than 1,400 games as a player, coach and manager at all the professional levels of the game in England.
“We are all looking forward to welcoming our first group in 2021 and working together to grow this programme in the years ahead.”
Northampton Town International Football Academy opens in January next year.
