Real Salt Lake announced on Wednesday they have hired Tom Spall as academy director, following a worldwide search.
Spall has most recently worked in the English Premier League and MLS as an assessor and project manager for the respective leagues' youth development systems, Elite Player Performance Plan in England and Doublepass in the U.S. and Canada. Before that, he worked in English soccer, at Barnsley, Sheffield United, Bottesford Town, Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United, primarily coaching at the youth level.
“We had a deep pool of well-qualified applicants and Tom stood out because of his impressive credentials and his extensive knowledge of academies through his previous work with Doublepass,” RSL assistant general manager Elliot Fall said in a statement. “His vision for the future of the RSL Academy runs in lock-step with what we envisioned, but he also adds new dimensions to what we believe we can achieve through youth development.”
RSL's academy is a cornerstone of roster-building for the first team. To date, 21 players have been signed to the MLS squad, including 12 on the current roster. In all, 53 RSL academy products have signed professional contracts.
“My philosophies are similar to the club’s. For me, it’s all about helping RSL be the best Development Academy in North America,” Spall said. “There’s a structure in place already. I see my role as linking the foundation to the academy in Arizona and the academy here. It’s like a big puzzle and we’re trying to bring it all together.”
