Our Team

FRANCISCO ‘PANCHO' GUERRERO, 1st team head coach

Not many football clubs can boast a world cup winning goal scorer as their first team coach, but that´s exactly who we have here at ACFC. Pancho scored in Argentina U20´s win against Brazil in the 1995 Youth World Cup. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Pancho played at the very top level in his native country of Argentina, spending the majority of his time at the world famous club Independiente before moving to Switzerland to play for 2 of Switzerland's biggest clubs, FC Zurich and FC Basel.

Moving into coaching, Pancho has coached at Alicante CF & CD Campello (Spain) and Coquimbo Unido & CD O Higgins (Chile) before joining ACFC midway through the 2021/22 season, where he guided the team to their highest ever finish of 5th place.

Phil Phillipou, U19 head COACH & DIRECTOR OF COACHING METHODOLOGY

Phil joined ACFC Academy in 2017, having previously coached at Crystal Palace FC. After moving to Spain, Phil gained a Masters degree in Talent Identification and Player Development from Real Madrid.

In addition to his role at the as U19s coach, Phil works as the Director of Methodology at Alicante City FC.

CHRIS HAYS, ACADEMY DIRECTOR

Chris coached at New York Red Bulls during his 4 year stay in the US where he built a large network with clubs, colleges and coaches. He has guided our players from the previous 3 seasons through their time in Spain and overseen their next steps whether this be joining an external club, returning on a scholarship or assisting with college applications.

Chris developed and pioneered ACFC Academy's "life skill" lessons which was designed and is taught to help our players with their future outside of the pitch to compliment the lessons they learn on the field.

David de la Hera, SPORTING DIRECTOR

As Sporting Director, David brings a wealth of professional football experience to the ACFC academy. As a former midfielder, David spent much of his playing career in La Liga, having played for Hércules, Elche and UD Llieda in his 12 year playing career.

David has also coached at several professional clubs throughout Spain and works to secure trials for our players through his extensive network of contacts, both in Spain and other countries.

David works closely with the coaches from the 1st team, U23s team and U19s team, identifying the talent from within the club. Together, the coaching team then decides on the best route of progression for their players.

Craig O’Donoghue, u23/B-Team head coach

Craig joins our team as a part of our partnership with ‘The Steven Gerrard Academy’ as Head Coach of the U23s. Craig has previously coached at several football academy systems in England, including Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Everton, as well as with Brisbane Roar in Australia.

Craig’s wealth of experience of working with younger players in professional football clubs is extremely beneficial for players who have not previously had access to elite level coaching.