Jon Grey to leave Swansea City to join FAW

Swansea City can confirm Jon Grey will leave the club’s academy at the end of the month to take up a position with the Football Association of Wales.

Grey – who worked alongside Anthony Wright with the club’s under-21s – will be joining Wales Women as national team assistant coach.

He joins the national association at a time of growth for the women’s game, and will now work alongside Gemma Grainger ahead of Wales Women’s inaugural Nations League campaign and their qualification effort for the next UEFA Women’s European Championships, which begins in 2024.

It brings an end to the 45-year-old’s long association with his boyhood club that stretches back to 1994.

Grey joined as a scholar when he was 14 before going on to sign a professional contract at the Vetch Field in 1996.

Despite injury forcing him to abandon a career in the professional ranks, he returned to the club in a part-time coaching capacity with the academy in 2009.

After securing a full-time role in 2012, he went on to become under-18s’ coach in 2016 before taking on the position of head of coaching in the summer of 2019, as well as being academy manager for a period.

During his time in the academy Grey has played a huge part in the development of several players who have risen through the youth ranks and into the first team; including the likes of Connor Roberts, Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Dan James and current first-team players Joe Allen, Ben Cabango and OIlie Cooper.

All seven of those players were part of Wales’ travelling party for the World Cup in Qatar last year.

To put that in context, Barcelona had six academy graduates in the Spain squad, three members of the Germany squad spent time in the Bayern Munich academy, while eight members of the Dutch squad had stints in the Ajax youth set-up.

“It’s very fitting that Jon leaves us in the week another academy graduate makes his competitive debut for Wales,” said Swansea City academy manager Andy Goldie.

“Just as he has with Ollie Cooper, Jon has made a significant contribution to the development and success of many of our graduates, both on and off the pitch, during his time at the club.

"His loyalty to Swansea City is very rare in football nowadays, even within the academy environment, having been here since he was 14-years-old, but he’s ready for the next chapter in his career and we wish him the very best of luck with his new challenge with the FAW.“

Following Grey’s departure, Anthony Wright will lead the club’s Under-21 side, while a staffing restructure will take place in due course as the club looks to evolve the academy programme to enhance its player development and support services.

Everyone at Swansea City would like to thank Jon for the tireless work he has undertaken during his time at the club, and wishes him every success for the future.