Orlando Pirates to appoint ex-Swansea City goalkeeper coach

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Wednesday Jun 20, 2018. 11:00

Orlando Pirates are set to rope in head of Swansea City academy's goalkeeping department‚ Andrew Sparkes as the club’s new goalkeeper coach.

Sparkes is leaving the English Championship side to join the South African Premier Soccer League side‚ according to Swansea’s website.

Sparkes is apparently set to replace last season’s goalkeeper-coach at Pirates‚ Ivica Vukusic as the goalkeeper coach spent six years in the academy.

“Sparkes departs the Liberty having spent six years in the academy‚ where he worked with the under-23s and under-18s as well as the club’s younger keepers,” reads a report on Swansea City website.

“His new role will be as first-team goalkeeping coach with the Pirates‚ one of the biggest clubs in South Africa.”

Moreover, the goalkeeper trainer also took to Twitter on Friday where he announced his departure at the English Championship side.

Sparkes joined Swansea from the New York Red Bulls in 2012‚ where he had been the U23 goalkeeper coach and head of academy goalkeeping for six years. He was Red Bull Salzburg’s Under-18 goalkeeper-coach for a year before that.

The coach is currently on his UEFA A Goalkeeper Licence course and holds his UEFA B Goalkeeper Licence and UEFA B Licence.