Shaun North will begin work as Cheltenham Town first team coach on Tuesday 1 July
We can today confirm that Shaun North will become the club's new first team coach subject to paperwork completion.Shaun will begin work in his new role when the players return to training on Tuesday 1 July and will work alongside Mark Yates, Steve Elliott, Ian Weston and Steve Book in a new look backroom staff. Terms have been agreed between both Shaun and the club with paperwork set to be completed shortly on a one year contract.
The former Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers coach has now informed current club AFC Wimbledon of his decision and admitted he was looking forward to this new chapter in his career.
"I am really looking forward to starting life with Cheltenham Town," said Shaun.
"I'm disappointed to be leaving Wimbledon because I had a good time there but I am really looking forward to the new season. This has given me the chance to work back at first team level and I have missed that over the last year.
"My time at Wimbledon was fantastic. The people there right through the club are unbelievable. What they have done in a short space of time is a miracle and the manager and staff have been fantastic to work with during my year. I cannot praise them highly enough and it was a very difficult decision to leave.
"I am most definitely the kind of coach who will be first on the training pitch and last off it. Football is my life. It always has been and it always will be."
Shaun has worked as an assistant manager at Bristol Rovers and Torquay United but it was with Portsmouth where he made his name. He spent 15 years with the Portsmouth academy developing their young players and had great success.
His most recent appointment, with AFC Wimbledon, as an U21 development coach lasted a year before he applied for the first team coach role here at Whaddon Road.
Shaun has recently been on the same UEFA Pro license course as Mark Yates and the Robins chief believes the club will benefit from the experience of his new coach.
"I've known Shaun for a while and he was on my pro license course," said Mark.
"He knows the league, senior football and he has been working at a development level with Wimbledon recently. We had some really good candidates for the position but Shaun is the one we went for and I know he will work tirelessly with me coaching on the training ground and watching games. I am really pleased to have him onboard."
The 2014-15 fixtures were released yesterday. See them in full here.