Born and raised in Middlesbrough, Mark is an ex-professional footballer from a working-class family of five. He has a strong work ethic and is committed to helping young footballers get the best start in their footballing careers.

As a school boy Mark was quickly picked up by his home club, Middlesbrough Football Club, and by the age of 17 was given the opportunity to turn pro.

Having played for Middlesbrough for many years he went on to play for a number of clubs including Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday. However, his love of the Boro never left and he was pulled back to his home club in 1989 when he was asked to captain the Middlesbrough team at Wembley in the following year.

Hanging up his boot’s nine years later, Mark settled with his family locally and started gaining his coaching badges (FA and UEFA Pro License). Together with Dave Parnaby, he went on to train and develop the Middlesbrough Youth Academy, building a framework that is still used today. It was during this time that the team won its first FA Youth Cup, showcasing brilliant talent such as Stuart Downing, James Morrison and Ben Gibson.

He later went on to coach the first teams at Darlington and Hibernian, and then managed Livingston in the Scottish First Division. Most recently Mark was first team coach at his beloved Middlesbrough, the pull yet again too much to resist, this time working alongside Tony Mowbray.  

Now, with over 40 years of professional football experience and an unrelenting love of the game, Mark has developed a programme that will enhance technical and tactical ability, and build confidence and resilience in today’s young players.