Saints Southwest Announce Exciting New Partnership with Mike Phelan Coaching

Saints Southwest
2 days ago
2 min read

Bringing World-Class Coaching and Player Development to the South West

Saints Southwest is delighted to announce a landmark partnership with Mike Phelan Coaching, creating exciting new opportunities for both coaches and players across the South West.

This partnership represents another significant step in our commitment to Developing Potential For All, providing access to world-class coaching knowledge, elite player development experiences, and professional learning opportunities rarely available within grassroots football.

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A Message from Mark Titchard, Managing Director

"This partnership is a huge moment for Saints Southwest and one we're incredibly proud of. Mike Phelan has spent decades working at the highest level of world football, and to be able to bring his knowledge, experience and coaching philosophy to the South West is something truly special. We're passionate about creating opportunities that inspire coaches, develop players and continue raising standards across grassroots football. This partnership does exactly that, and we're excited to see the impact it will have for years to come."

Mike Phelan is one of the most respected coaches in the modern game. During an exceptional coaching career spanning more than three decades, Mike has worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, coached some of the world's greatest footballers, and played a key role in winning Premier League titles, FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League.

Now, Saints Southwest is proud to bring that experience directly to the South West football community.

Investing in Coaches

Great players need great coaches.

As part of this new partnership, Saints Southwest and Devon FA will host an Accredited Coaches CPD Evening on Thursday 30th July 2026 at Devon FA Headquarters in Newton Abbot.

Designed for coaches working across grassroots, academy and player development environments, the evening will provide valuable insight into the coaching philosophies, leadership principles and high-performance standards used throughout the professional game.

Attendees will gain practical knowledge covering:

Elite coaching methodology
Session design and delivery
Developing players through effective coaching
Creating high-performance environments
Experiences and lessons from the professional game

Whether coaching an Under-7 grassroots team or working within an academy setting, this event promises to inspire, challenge thinking and provide practical ideas that can immediately be taken back into everyday coaching.

An Elite Opportunity for Players

The partnership doesn't stop with coach education.

On Friday 31st July, Saints Southwest will launch its first Elite Player Training Camp, delivered in partnership with Mike Phelan Coaching.

Hosted at Devon FA Headquarters, the camp has been designed for ambitious grassroots and academy players who are serious about developing their game.

Players will experience a genuine high-performance training environment built around the standards, professionalism and expectations found within elite football.

Throughout the day, players will focus on:

Technical excellence
Tactical understanding
Decision making
Professional habits
High-intensity training
Mental resilience
Training standards expected at the highest level

This is not a traditional football camp.

It is an opportunity for committed young players to experience what it takes to develop at the next level while learning directly through the philosophies used by one of football's most experienced coaches.