Leon Britton steps down from academy role

Swansea City legend Leon Britton has stepped down from his player mentor role within the academy.

The 39-year-old returned to the club last October in a player-mentor capacity, working with the Under-23 squad and assisting coaches Kris O’Leary and Anthony Wright.

It was a move which was seen as pivotal in helping mentor and nurture the club’s young talent as they looked to make the transition from academy level to the first team.

But the club stalwart – who had previously held the position of sporting director - will now step away from his position in order to spend more time with his family.

“I’m naturally disappointed to be stepping down from this role,” said Britton, who enjoyed a 16-year playing career with the club that amassed 537 appearances.

“But I want to spend more quality time with my family and step away from a football environment, which is always so demanding and time consuming.

“Football has been my life for the best part of 30-odd years and I feel it is the right time to focus on the things that are most important in my life.

“I love the game, everyone knows I love this club and I’ve really enjoyed spending time with our young players as well as helping Kris (O’Leary) and Wrighty (Anthony Wright) with coaching and developing the players.

“We have some really talented youngsters in our academy and you can already see that Russell Martin is willing to give players a chance at first-team level, which is great to see. I’m really looking forward to watching on as a supporter and keeping a close eye on their progress.

“I’d like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity, and I will be keeping in touch with everyone and I hope I can come back in some capacity sometime in the future.’’

Everyone at Swansea City would like to thank Leon for his hard work and wish him well for the future.