BEN CLARK is back and Gateshead with an intention to produce more first team players.

Clark has returned as academy coach having previously played, captained and managed the Heed.

The former Sunderland, Hartlepool and Gateshead player defender has taken up a coaching role within the academy setup, alongside current coach Matty Pattison. It is a role Clark held with the club before becoming first-team manager in January 2019, when the club was going through harder financial times.

Clark spent six years with Gateshead as a player, making 280 appearances and going on to skipper the club in the 2014 Conference play-off final at Wembley.

The 36-year-old, who has most recently worked with Newcastle United Foundation, will also be taking up a role as Community Officer with Gateshead FC Foundation.

“I’ve spoken a lot since I left the football club and I just think it seems a lot more stable,” Clark told gateshead-fc.com. “The affiliation I had with the club beforehand, I love the club.

“It was a project I did before I got the manager’s job and I loved my job when I did it. That’s the main reason I’ve come back, to try and produce more players for the first team.”

The Gateshead FC Academy programme is delivered in partnership with Gateshead College, with players training and playing as part of the club’s under-19 squad whilst studying for nationally recognised qualifications at the college.

The programme equips players with the skills, knowledge, confidence and attitude required to build a meaningful and long-lasting career in the football industry.

If you’re interested in the joining the Academy, please contact gfcacademy@gateshead.ac.uk or visit www.gfc-academy.com/ for more information.