Head of Academy Coaching Mick Halsall was rewarded for his commitment to youth development with the Baggies at a recent PGDip Elite Coach Development graduation event.
Mick scooped the Personal Development Award for his continuous desire to improve standards in the youth setup at The Hawthorns - one of just two honours handed out by the FA’s Youth Coach Development Lead, Ian Bateman (pictured below).
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In addition, the Albion academy chief also collected his PGDip from the PL’s Head of Elite Performance, Dr Claire-Marie Roberts.
And Halsall believes the recent recognition is a reflection of the dedicated work by all of the club’s youth team staff.
“This has been an award for the club and the academy in my eyes,” said Halsall.
“A lot of the hard work we do comes down to the Academy Manager, Richard Stevens. But obviously the support the club provide him allows everyone at the academy to their jobs to the highest possible standard.
“We always talk about creating an outstanding creative and learning environment for all of our players and staff. We’re always looking to show progress and have done since we came to the club.
“We as a club strongly believe in any players or members of staff who want to push on and develop their careers. The backing the club gives us at the academy is so important, and we’ll continue to utilise that support through our progressive work going forward.”