Brett
Striker
A lot of new roles filled
Sunderland AFC is pleased to announce several recent developments within its performance domain.
A summer of significant investment across personnel and infrastructure includes the additions of Head of First Team Performance, Shad Forsythe, and Senior Performance Coach, Luke Cooper.
Leading an elite, multidisciplinary high-performance programme for the first team, Forsythe moves to Wearside following three years as Borussia Dortmund’s Head of Performance, which is a role he also held throughout long-term tenures with Arsenal and the German national team.
Cooper also adds significant experience, having spent four years in the EFL with Sheffield Wednesday before becoming New York City FC’s Head of Sports Science from 2020 to 2025.
In addition to a new partnership with INTRA Performance Group, Liam Howells has been appointed as the Club’s new Lead Performance Nutritionist.
The process to appoint a Performance Nutritionist is also ongoing, with Colette Miller also joining the first-team backroom staff to undertake the role of Soft-tissue Therapist.
Head of Performance & Medicine, Jamie Harley said: “Following our promotion to the Premier League, it was important to continue developing our provision across performance and medical. We are delighted by the impact our new staff have made alongside the wider team, with investment in personnel also underpinned by further developments to the environment and infrastructure at the Academy Light.”
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Sunderland AFC is pleased to announce several recent developments within its performance domain.
A summer of significant investment across personnel and infrastructure includes the additions of Head of First Team Performance, Shad Forsythe, and Senior Performance Coach, Luke Cooper.
Leading an elite, multidisciplinary high-performance programme for the first team, Forsythe moves to Wearside following three years as Borussia Dortmund’s Head of Performance, which is a role he also held throughout long-term tenures with Arsenal and the German national team.
Cooper also adds significant experience, having spent four years in the EFL with Sheffield Wednesday before becoming New York City FC’s Head of Sports Science from 2020 to 2025.
In addition to a new partnership with INTRA Performance Group, Liam Howells has been appointed as the Club’s new Lead Performance Nutritionist.
The process to appoint a Performance Nutritionist is also ongoing, with Colette Miller also joining the first-team backroom staff to undertake the role of Soft-tissue Therapist.
Head of Performance & Medicine, Jamie Harley said: “Following our promotion to the Premier League, it was important to continue developing our provision across performance and medical. We are delighted by the impact our new staff have made alongside the wider team, with investment in personnel also underpinned by further developments to the environment and infrastructure at the Academy Light.”
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