Meet The RIASA Coaching Team.
Experienced Coaches Who Are Passionate About Player Development.
Player development is our core value. All of our coaches have either played professionally or work hard within different football settings to earn their prestigious coaching badges.
Highly qualified coaches
The RIASA soccer programme has proven to develop players tactically and athletically. We want you to reach your maximum potential, and that’s what will happen if you join our academy.
To be the best, we know we need great coaches who have experienced football at all levels. You’ll find that the RIASA coaches have recognisable coaching badges across all aspects of the game.
Connections that help
The RIASA coaches have over 100 years experience within the football industry. They’ve grown up playing football, gone on to coach football, and throughout their careers have made established connections along the way.
We utilise these connections as part of the RIASA soccer programme to help broaden your experience as you embark on your journey into the football world.
Passionate about player development
It's simple. Our coaching team care about your development. Through-out the 9-month season, we regularly track and monitor your progress as a player. We provide you with regular feedback in relation to your performance, fitness testing results and generally how you're developing as a player at RIASA.
Gareth Prendergast Mic'd Up
We recently mic'd up RIASA head coach Gareth Prendergast during a routine training session. You'll see Gareth's passion and commitment for player development during this short video, in which we take you behind the scenes of our UK college soccer programme.
The Coaching Team
As well as the regular coaches that you will work with throughout your training sessions, we also invite guest coaches on to the programme to expand and enhance your skillset. Meet the highly experienced coaching team at RIASA. Find out about their qualifications and football background.
Gareth Prendergast
Head Coach
UEFA A & B Qualifications
Master of Research in Sport & Exercise Science
FA Youth Qualifications
Talent Development Qualifications
Worked in football education for over 12 years
Hyde United Head of Academy for over 7 years
Hyde United under 17s, under 18s, and under 21s
Hyde United 1st team coach
Martin Hunter
Football Strategy & Mentoring Officer
UEFA A & Pro Licence
PFA & LMA Certificate in Applied Management
Technical Director at Southampton FC for 8+ years
England National coach U19 & U20
Norwich City & Watford FC first team coach
Senior FA Tutor
FA Academy Manager’s Licence
Jamie McCombe
Academy Coach
Ex pro footballer with 400+ senior appearances
Play for Huddersfield Town, Doncaster Rovers, Bristol City & Lincoln City
Played over 31,000 professional minutes across EFL
Won promotion 3 times
Scored 35 goals
Defender specific training
Player/coach role at Lincoln City
Interim manager at Sunderland AFC
Michal Korbel
Academy Goalkeeper Coach
10 years coaching experience
Coached goalkeepers in Czech first division
Worked in football education previously
UEFA B coaching license
Qualifications from the Scottish FA, Welsh FA and United Soccer league
Jack Salvatore
Academy Coach
UEFA B
Master in MSc Sport & Exercise psychology
International coach at Liverpool FC
Coached in men's and women's football at all levels
Head coach of Keele University
Alex Gabriel
Academy Coach
Graduated from RIASA in 2023
UEFA C
FA Level 1& 2 qualifications
Coaching intern at RIASA
Men's Undergraduate
View detailed information about our undergraduate soccer programme.
Women's Undergraduate
Find out how you can join RIASA Women's International Female Academy.
Schedule a call
Speak with the RIASA recruitment team about your college soccer future.
PRO SOCCER EXPERIENCE
10 Reasons Why RIASA Should Be On Your College Soccer List.
Choosing where you’re going to spend 4 years of your life can be daunting, we know it’s a scary thought trying to understand which college soccer programme is best for you, that’s why we wanted to share with you the main benefits of joining RIASA.
Start Your UK College Soccer Journey.
Earn a dual accredited US/UK degree which will help you break into today's modern sporting industry. Train and compete for 9-months of the year in world-class sporting facilities. Your time is now!