Thomas David Curtis (born 1 March 1973) is an English retired professional footballer who is England's youth development phase lead at The Football Association. Prior to that he was a Senior Youth Coach Developer at the Football Association, previously he was Academy Manager at Bristol Rovers and Technical Director at the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas David Curtis[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 March 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Exeter, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1993 | Derby County | 0 | (0) |
| 1993–2000 | Chesterfield | 255 | (16) |
| 2000–2002 | Portsmouth | 13 | (0) |
| 2001 | → Walsall (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2002–2005 | Mansfield Town | 93 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Chester City | 40 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Notts County | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Nuneaton Borough | 54 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | Alfreton Town | 41 | (4) |
| 2009–2011 | Loughborough University | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Antigua Barracuda | ||
| 2011–2012 | Antigua and Barbuda | ||
| 2012–2014 | Bristol Rovers (Academy Manager) | ||
| 2021–2022 | England U17s | ||
| 2024– | England U15s | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editCurtis was born in Exeter, England. He played for several Football League clubs, and is perhaps best remembered for his seven-year spell at Chesterfield, where he played more than 250 games and was part of the Spireites' memorable cup run of 1996–97, where they reached the semi-finals, with Curtis scoring the winner from the penalty spot in Chesterfield's upset victory against Nottingham Forest.[3] Curtis was signed by Chesterfield manager John Duncan at a time when the young footballer was undertaking a university course. Between the player and his manager, a situation was settled upon whereby Tom could continue his education whilst training with the Spireites part-time. His other clubs include Mansfield Town, Chester City (both in a Player/Coach role), Notts County and Portsmouth.
While playing at Mansfield Town, Chester City, Nuneaton Borough and Alfreton Town, he was given the captaincy. At Mansfield, Curtis helped them to the 2004 Third Division Play-off Final. In the semi-finals, Curtis' goal in the second leg against Northampton took the game to a penalty shootout, which Mansfield went on to win.[4] The final against Huddersfield also went to penalties, however this time Mansfield lost and were thus denied promotion.[5] Curtis' only other goal for Mansfield came in the FA Cup against Bishop's Stortford.[6] Whilst at Chester, Curtis scored once in a 3–1 win over Barnet in October 2005.[7]
Managerial career
editCurtis was appointed head coach of Loughborough University Football Team in 2007, leading the team to various trophies in his four years in the role.
During his tenure Loughborough University entered the National Football Pyramid at step 6 and were quickly promoted to step 5, part of his role included the design and acquisition of the Loughborough University football stadium, which provides a home for the scholars today.
In April 2008, he was appointed assistant coach to the English Universities squad for the 2008–09 season.
In March 2011, Curtis took up the role of technical director and head coach of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association. With the job, comes the task of managing Antigua's sole professional team, Antigua Barracuda, in their first season in the United Soccer Leagues Professional Division (the third tier of United States Soccer).
Antigua and Barbuda rose to 79 in the world and reached the semi-final stages of CONCACAF world cup qualification during his stay, by far and away the most successful period in the nations footballing history. Narrow losses to USA and Jamaica meant that they were unable to make the final hexagonal stages.
On 23 October 2012, he resigned from his position as Antigua and Barbuda national team coach and from Antigua Barracuda.[8]
In November 2012 Curtis returned to the UK to take up the role of academy manager at Bristol Rovers, his under-18 team remained unbeaten all season, winning both Youth Alliance League and Cup.
In December 2014 he was appointed a Senior Youth coach Developer for the Football Association. On 26 August 2021, Curtis was confirmed as head coach of the England U17s. [9] On 16 August 2022, Curtis was appointed as the youth development phase lead for England men's teams.[10]
On 23 August 2024, Curtis was confirmed as England U15s head coach.[11]
Managerial statistics
edit- As of 2 May 2011.
| Team | Nation | From | To | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua Barracuda FC |  Antigua and Barbuda
|
25 March 2011 | 23 October 2012 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 37.5 |
References
edit- ^ "Squad List: FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023: England (ENG)" (PDF). FIFA. 14 November 2023. p. 6. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2003). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2003–04. London: Headline. p. 499. ISBN 978-0-7553-1228-3.
- ^ "Treasure Chesterfield". Independent. 16 February 1997. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
- ^ "Mansfield reach final". BBC. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ "Huddersfield 0–0 Mansfield". BBC. 31 May 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ "Mansfield 6–0 Bishop's Stortford". BBC. 8 November 2003. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ "Barnet 1–3 Chester". BBC. 15 October 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ "Tom Curtis resigns". Antigua Observer. 23 October 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- ^ Veevers, Nicholas (26 August 2021). "England youth coaches confirmed". Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "England youth team coaches appointed for 2022-23 season". 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "England men's coaching teams confirmed". England Football. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
External links
edit- Tom Curtis at Soccerbase
- Tom Curtis Interview
- A Chat With Tom Curtis
