Neil Banfield profile
Name
Neil Banfield
Position
First 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 is entering his first season as first-team coach after his promotion alongside Steve Bould in May 2012.
Now 15 years into his time with the Gunners - eight of which he has spent as reserve-team coach - Neil previously presided over a vital step in the development of talented youngsters produced by the Arsenal Academy.
Neil’s reputation for knowing when a young player is ready for reserve action, and then handing them increasing levels of responsibility before progression to the first team, is second to none.
Before taking over the second string he spent a number of years working in the Academy itself, during which time the Club won two FA Youth Cups, a national Academy Under-17 league title and a regional Academy Under-19 title.
Neil was a well-regarded player himself in the past - operating as a centre half and playing for England Schoolboys while with Crystal Palace.
