Jonathan Spyropoulos

By Eloise Martin

We caught up with new assistant manager Jonathon Spryopoulos who joined this season with James Fishlock to hear all about how he got into coaching and his experience at Pontypridd United so far!

How did you get into coaching?

After I finished my A levels, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with life, so I took a gap year and applied for the Arsenal Gap Year Programme. Thankfully, I managed to get a place on it, cause the programme kick-started my coaching journey really, and that led me to the Football Coaching and Performance BSc at USW.

How have you found your first couple of months at Pontypridd United?

It’s been brilliant. Everyone at the club has been so welcoming, and to be honest it feels like I’ve been here for years. I’ve settled in really well.

What attracted you to the club?

Well having been involved in Welsh Women’s football for several years now, I was very aware of Pontypridd United and the set-up here, and as a coach looking from the outside in, I hugely admired the work Fern and her staff had done here. On top of that, having gone through my BSc and more recently MSc with USW, I know how world-class the facilities are so that was a factor. But probably the biggest factor was Jim. He made it clear to me early on that he wanted me as his assistant and pushed for that.

All of this made it an exciting project for me.

How have you found working with the players so far?

I honestly can’t speak highly enough of every single one of them. Not only do they give 100% every single session and match, but they also effectively challenge and make sure the coaching staff are kept on their toes. This ensures high standards are kept, making us better coaches. The speed of their development over the last few months has been spectacular really. It’s a really special group of players, and what’s amazing is that there’s still more to come from all of us!

How do you think the season is going so far?

I think it’s hugely positive. We had a tough 4 games to start the season, playing the top 4 teams from last season. But we proved that we can compete with them every step of the way. The cup game on the weekend was a special one for us as a coaching staff, because it showed all the work everyone has put in, the players and staff have clicked. It showed just how good this team is and how far we can go.

What are your goals for the rest of the season?

As a team, we want to continue to push and develop, by doing so the sky is the limit. From a personal standpoint, it’s to make sure I continue to develop and learn as a coach, to make sure I’m giving the very best of my ability to the players so they can continue their development.

#TheDragons #OneClub #WeAreUnited