GORDON Staniforth – the man who once set the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Robinson and Alan Smith on the road to stardom – has been tasked with discovering and nurturing the next generation’s top coaches.

The former York City attacker has landed a new job as the North Riding FA’s county coach developer and starts work on Monday.

As a consequence, York College will be witnessing the end of a 17-year era, with the two-time winner of City’s Billy Fenton Memorial Trophy standing down from his position as the Sim Balk Lane site’s sports development centre co-ordinator.

With Staniforth’s guidance, a raft of students have gone on to make the professional ranks and represent their country during that time, with many others also playing and coaching overseas.

His next challenge sees him take one of the regional positions, created by FA chairman Greg Dyke to bring coaching quotas in this country up in line with those of Spain and Germany.

Having helped develop future England trio – Woodgate, Robinson and Smith – as Leeds United’s youth-team manager in 1997/98, Staniforth is now excited by the prospect of maybe unearthing the next Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger in North Yorkshire.

Neither manager – arguably two of the best the game has ever seen – made any impression on the sport as players and Staniforth, 58, reckons more grassroots coaches can prove the absence of an illustrious career as a footballer need not stand in their way of a successful profession on the training field or in the dugout.

He said: “Playing at a high level helps, but it’s not the answer to understanding the game. If you watch football, study the game and surround yourself with coaches who have lots of experience, then anything is possible.

“We have two former students who are now coaching at the college in Michael Morton and Simon Collins, who will take their UEFA A licence this summer. They are also part of the (York, Malton and Harrogate based) i2i Academy and will go on to big things. Josh Waddingham is another one, who is only 17 but has already been nominated by the FA to be fast-tracked as a leader coach of the future.

“I am planning a pathway for him, but he is only young so we will need to put him in places that are really safe, first of all, where he can make his mistakes and learn from them.”

The ex-Doncaster Belles boss also stressed that the main responsibility of his new role is to help provide quality education for coaches of all levels, not just the elite group.

“We will be putting on classes and supporting coaches afterwards,” he explained. “Before, courses have been put on and then, that was that, but I will be mentoring them with their work and encouraging them to gain more qualifications.

“It’s about showing people that coaching can be a profession too. I want to find where our next coaches and coach educators are coming from and what’s the best route for them – whether it’s a professional club, the women’s game, disability sport or grassroots.”

Staniforth also realises the importance of high-standard coaching at formative years, pointing out: “Whatever a player becomes, they all start at grassroots level and we need well qualified coaches as a county and a country.”

The North Riding FA’s gain, meanwhile, will be York College’s loss with Staniforth’s tenure having seen the Bishopthorpe venue firmly established on the national map for sports coaching with the introduction of football, basketball and rugby development centres.

With the men’s football team currently in the English Colleges FA National Cup semi-finals, that reputation continues to grow with an alumni roster to match.

Ex-pupil and goalkeeper Sam Slocombe is currently at Oxford United, having previously played in the Championship for Scunthorpe.

Brian Dutton (Cambridge United, Weymouth and Sailsbury) also made the professional ranks, along with Alex Rhodes (York City).

Recent graduate Ronaldo Vieira Nan, meanwhile, is being tipped for a first-team future at Leeds as a regular in the Elland Road team’s under-21 side.

“Ronaldo has been the best player to come through the college system,” Staniforth enthused. “Right from the start, he was a special player and has a maturity beyond his years.”

Other past students making their mark abroad and locally include Rachel Daly (England U21s player and Dallas coach), Kelly Peaurt (Chicago Fire’s head of women’s football), Matt Noble and James Lewis (running a successful business in Mexico City schools), Jay Salter (Middlesbrough FC academy coach), Andy Phillips (York City academy goalkeeper coach), Emma Coates (head of women’s football at Leeds Beckett University and assistant coach at Doncaster Rovers Belles), Kayleigh Davis (York City Ladies coach), Jamie Rank (director of coaching at Stamford Bridge) and Matthew Wain (Dunnington manager).

Staniforth’s own coaching role models are varied, dating back to his former school teacher at Hull’s Greenfield High School Michael Osbourne – ‘he sold me the benefits of coaching by joining in sessions with a smile’ – and including current Southampton U21 coach Martin Hunter, who gave the ex-City favourite an opportunity to work with the likes of Michael Owen at an FA National School of Excellence.

The late, great former Arsenal and England coach Don Howe also made an impression with Staniforth adding: “His coaching style and manner, in terms of the way he spoke to players, was brilliant.

“His ideas on the game were in advance of other coaches. He was inventive and tried new things.

“In my playing days we didn’t get coached. We just worked on fitness and played some practise games.

“Now it has all changed and, if I knew then, what I know now, I would be a far fitter and better player and probably played a lot longer and earned more money!”

Staniforth’s links with York College will not be severed completely as he will continue to oversee the North Yorkshire Girls’ Centre of Excellence but, on the closure of a chapter in his life, he confessed: “It’s strange and very emotional because I have met some wonderful students and staff, but it is time for a new challenge and I look forward to working with lots of new coaches in the region.”