Hull City has acted swiftly to find a replacement for Neil Sullivan, who announced his retirement from coaching earlier this week and left the East Yorkshire club.
Chris Butt, who joins from Sheffield United, will take up the head position at the team’s Bishop Burton academy. He credits the MKM Stadium for his choice to switch from Bramall Lane to the new system that Acun Ilicali implemented after taking over in January 2022.
After serving as the head of goalkeeping at City’s academy for four years and spending 38 years in football as both a player and coach, Sullivan, a former goalkeeper for Wimbledon and Leeds United, decided to retire.
The 27-year-old told City’s website, “I am really pleased to be joining and I would like to pass my thanks onto those that put the trust in me to do the job.”
“I am really excited to be here and I look forward to getting started. Since the new ownership has come into the club, there has been a clear evolution of playing style for the first team, and that is something that I have seen filter down through the academy, which was a big draw in joining the team.
It will be a significant role within the club, and I am looking forward to it since it is an essential job, especially given the manner the team wants to play. There are some excellent goalkeepers throughout the academy age groups, from the Under-9s to the Under-21s, so I am looking forward to taking on this duty and managing not only the older lads but also the age groups.
“Although I am a young coach, I believe I have a wealth of experience.” Since I have expertise dealing with many age groups, I am able to closely monitor it, as it is crucial that we get it right throughout those foundational years. I am excited to work with the PDP coaches on a daily basis, build on past accomplishments, and maybe provide a few new ideas to the club.
“My top priorities are to have a successful preseason, ensure that every goalie is playing at their best, and see if we can find any of the guys loans that will help them grow. I want to make sure that the goalkeepers and the other academy staff members are comfortable with me at the club. After the preseason is over, I’ll be thinking about long-term initiatives and maybe coming up with a sustainable development plan for the team’s goalkeepers.
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