Neil Banfield profile
Name
Neil Banfield
Position
Reserve Team Coach
Born
January 20, 1962, Poplar
Previous clubs as players
Crystal Palace, Adelaide City (Australia), Leyton Orient
Previous clubs as coach
Charlton Athletic
Joined Arsenal
June 1997
Neil’s affable character belies a great determination to develop the vast array of glittering youngsters in his reserve team into footballers ready to play at the very highest level in the Arsenal first team.
Now in his fourth season as Reserve Team Coach, Neil – whose brother Tony is involved in the Club’s overseas scouting network – had previously been part of the Academy’s coaching staff during a highly successful period for the Club’s youngsters.
He helped preside over two FA Youth Cup wins, the National Academy Under-17 league title in 1999/2000 and the Regional Academy Under-19 league title in 2003/04.
Last season the reserves finished a creditable fourth place in a league where Banfield’s teenagers often find themselves pitting their wits against much more experienced opposition, and he continues to instil the youngsters with an ethos of passing and movement, mirroring Arsène Wenger’s first team, and providing the perfect preparation for when his players step-up to the higher level.
As a player, Neil was a central defender and represented England at Schoolboy level before enjoying spells at Crystal Palace, Leyton Orient and Adelaide City.
