Jed Davies

Jed Davies
Jed Davies with Patrice Gheisar, HFX Wanderers FC 2024
Personal information
Full name Jed Cynan Davies
Date of birth (1988-01-06) 6 January 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Cardiff, Wales
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 UPEI Panthers
Youth career
Years Team
2000-2004 Cirencester Town
Managerial career
2013–2014 Oxford University
2016–2019 Ottawa Fury (assistant)
2021–2022 Miami FC (assisant)
2023–2025 HFX Wanderers
2025- UPEI Panthers

Jed Davies (born 6 January 1988) is a Welsh[1] professional football coach who currently is the head coach of UPEI Panthers.

Coaching career

Oxford University AFC

Davies worked at Oxford University AFC[2][3] alongside Mickey Lewis and Jon Collins from 2013 to 2014 before going on to work with Magnus Pehrsson, Manager of the Estonia national football team in 2015.[4][5][6][7]

Ottawa Fury FC

On 9 August 2016, Davies was hired by USL Championship side Ottawa Fury FC alongside Bruce Grobbelaar, Julian de Guzman and Martin Nash as a first team assistant coach, working under head coach Paul Dalglish.[8]

Miami FC

Davies moved to Miami FC in the USL Championship In 2021 as an assistant coach.[9]

Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Soccer Academy

Davies worked as Head of Player Development at Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Soccer Academy between July 2014 and February 2023. Tyr Walker, Antoine Coupland, Noah Abatneh, Eric Lajeunesse and Elage Bah were graduates who went on to play professionally in the Canadian Premier League and MLS. Sadie Sider-Echenberg, another graduate from the same age group at the club went on to play for Le Havre AC and became the youngest goal scorer in Division 1 Féminine in the club's history.[10]

"One of the assistants for Halifax Wanderers, his name is Jed Davies, he taught me a lot about the tactical side of the game and a lot of the technical skills I use today is a product of the repetition I was doing at those ages."

— Noah Abatneh (York United FC) and the role coaches played on his youth development.[11]

HFX Wanderers FC

On 6 February 2023, head coach Patrice Gheisar named Jed Davies as an Assistant Coach and Head of Youth Development at HFX Wanderers FC in the Canadian Premier League

In the club announcement HFX Wanderers Founder and President Derek Martin said:

“Jed's addition represents a significant investment on our behalf to improve the development pathway in our region, It remains our goal to see multiple Atlantic Canadian players earn their way onto the Wanderers’ first-team roster.” [12]

During his time with HFX Wanderers, the club recorded it's highest league finish in club history (2023 season) and a number of players from the HFX Wanderers under-21 team made their professional debuts including Camilo Vasconcelos, Jefferson Alphonse and Aiden Rushenas.

UPEI Panthers

On 18 December 2024, Jed Davies was named the new head coach of UPEI Soccer Panthers, taking over from Lewis Page who had departed to become head coach of Halifax Tides FC after 25 seasons with UPEI Soccer Panthers.[13]

Coach education

Davies was a co-founder of Inspire Football Coach Education UK, a coach education company that featured the likes of Dick Bate, Raymond Verheijen, FC Barcelona's Albert Capellas, Brian Ashton and many other reputable guests.[14]

Davies has presented for a number of clubs and coach education companies and events such as the World Football Academy Expert Meeting, owned by Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen. Verheijen (former Wales Assistant Manager) referred to Davies as one of the "next generation" of coaches who he appreciated as an educator of football tactics.[15]

In 2019, Davies became a professor at the University of Ottawa where he taught Strategy in Sport: Association Football.[16]

Published books

In 2013 Davies published Coaching the Tiki-Taka Style of Play,[17] a book positively reviewed by Eddie Howe among many others.[18] Eddie Howe commented how the book was one of "Inspiration, different ideas and new angles that can make you better" during his Soccer AM interview on Sky Sports.

The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa[19] was published in 2016. The book included insights from Michael Beale, Mark Sampson, Chris Davies and those close to the working methods of Marcelo Bielsa.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Canadian Soccer Youth Spotted By Soccer Coach". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Profiles OUAFC". Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Goal.com". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. ^ "JustKickinitPod.com". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Ottawa Fury Announce New Coach". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Football Soccer Camps". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. ^ "ThisisAnfield.com". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Ottawa Fury Announce New Coach". Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  9. ^ Communications, Miami FC (26 January 2021). "Jed Davies Announced as The Miami FC Assistant Coach". Miami FC. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. ^ "New Head Coach". UPEI.Ca. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  11. ^ "NationalCoachesWeek". Instagram. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Wanderers announce full soccer operations staff for 2023". Halifax Wanderers. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  13. ^ "New Head Coach". UPEI.Ca. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Inspire Coach Education". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  15. ^ "Raymond Verheijen on Jed Davies". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  16. ^ "University of Ottawa Professor Profile". Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  17. ^ Coaching the Tiki-Taka Style of Play. Soccer Tutor. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  18. ^ "Eddie Howe reading Coaching The Tiki-Taka Style of Play by Jed Davies". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  19. ^ The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa. SoccerTutor. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  20. ^ BluePrintforFootball.com. BluePrintforFootball. Retrieved 31 July 2016.