Our Team
The People Behind PitchPlay.
PitchPlay is not run by people who have read about the challenges facing international student-athletes. It is run by people who have lived them, coached through them, supported players navigating them and seen first-hand what happens when that support is absent.
This is a team of football professionals, welfare specialists and educators, who are all committed to one thing: helping international student-athletes thrive.
WHY PITCHPLAY EXISTS
PitchPlay was founded by Joe and Max are two people with deep roots in football and international student welfare who kept seeing the same problem: talented international players arriving in the UK full of ambition, and leaving without the opportunities or support they deserved.
Some had been given poor advice. Some had joined programmes that weren't right for them. Some had simply struggled with the personal challenges of living abroad and had no one in their corner when it got difficult.
PitchPlay was built to change that. To be the organisation those players needed but didn't have.
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The Founders
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Joe brings nearly two decades of experience in football and international student admissions. He has held roles with the FA and led the expansion of a leading international football academy as Head of Operations and Football Admissions overseeing international recruitment, visa processes and the welfare of players arriving from across the world. Joe's experience gives PitchPlay its operational credibility and its understanding of exactly what international student-athletes need.
Joe
ENGLAND
Founder & Head of Operations
Max is a current semi-professional player and former international football academy student, which means he has experienced PitchPlay's world from both sides. He has coached and recruited for international academies, handling thousands of player enquiries throughout his career. His first-hand perspective as a player, combined with his talent identification expertise, means PitchPlay's recruitment is built on genuine understanding, not assumptions.
Max
PEVERELL
Founder & Head of Recruitment
Delivery Team
Gary is a UEFA-licensed football coach and current scout for Burnley FC. A former professional footballer, Gary has coached internationally across a wide range of backgrounds and levels. He leads PitchPlay's football operations, overseeing player assessment, scouting reports and showcase events. His professional credentials mean the clubs and academies PitchPlay works with take his assessments seriously.
Gary
BROWN
Head of Football
Jake is an experienced coach with a strong track record of developing players and preparing them for first-team football. A former Northampton Town Academy player, he currently manages Stamford AFC Reserves, a side he has guided to promotion in each of the four seasons since its formation in 2021. Jake's understanding of the step from youth to senior football informs everything he does with PitchPlay players.
Jake
WALTON
Lead Coach
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Manny is a former professional footballer who played across the English Football League and National League, and is currently a UEFA-qualified coach at Chelsea. His Player Mentor sessions give PitchPlay athletes something rare: direct access to someone who has made the journey they're attempting and who is honest about every part of it.
Manny
OYELEKE
Player Mentor
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Ady is an experienced sports psychologist currently working with Oxford United Football Club. He specialises in helping athletes at all levels build the mental foundations for confidence, focus, resilience and composure, that performance at the highest level requires. His work with PitchPlay players addresses the psychological side of both football and the wider experience of studying abroad.
Adrian
BRAWN
Sports Psychologist
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Neil is a highly qualified strength and conditioning coach, formerly with Peterborough United Football Club. He builds tailored programmes that enhance strength, speed and athletic efficiency specifically designed for footballers and calibrated to fit around each player's training and match schedule.
Neal
LATTIMORE
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Sam is a UEFA-licensed coach with experience working with youth players across the UK and Sweden. His roles have brought him into close contact with students balancing both study and football, giving him a practical understanding of how to support PitchPlay athletes in the specific demands of their dual-career environment.
Sam
BELL
UEFA Coach
Extended Team
Head of Media
Jordan
BRADLEY
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Sports Writer
Tula
HARVEY
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Photographer
Guy
PEVERELL