Neil Banfield Biography

Name :
Neil Banfield

Born :
January 20, 1962,

Birth place :
Poplar

Position :
Reserve Team Coach

Previous clubs as player :
Crystal Palace,
Adelaide City (Australia),
Leyton Orient

Joined Arsenal :
June 1997

Previous clubs as coach :
Charlton Athletic

Now 14 years into his time with the Gunners, seven of which he has spent as reserve team coach, Neil oversaw a second consecutive runners-up position in last season’s Reserve League South and, as ever, presided over a vital step in the development of talented youngsters produced by the Arsenal Academy.

Neil’s reputation for knowing when a young player is ready for Reserve action, and then handing them increasing levels of responsibility before progression to the first team, is second to none.

Before taking over the second string, he spent a number of years working in the Academy itself - during which time the Club won two FA Youth Cups, a national Academy Under-17 league title and a regional Academy Under-19 title.

Highly committed to creating a Reserve side in the footballing image of the first team, he was a well-regarded player himself in the past - operating as a centre-half and playing for England Schoolboys while with Crystal Palace.