Former Preston North End captain John Welsh will re-join the club as the Lead Development Phase Coach.
Welsh, who played for the club between 2012 and 2018, and had a major part to play in PNE’s promotion to the Championship in 2015, has been working with the Academy during the past few weeks and will soon begin a permanent role.
He will start in his new position later in the month, overseeing the age groups from U12s up to U16s, the final step before players find out whether or not they will be awarded a scholarship with the club.
Speaking on North End’s pre-match show, The Weekend Warm Up, Welshy said: “I’m really excited and can’t wait to get going.
“I’ve been taking the U16s for the last two or three weeks, been loving it and obviously this opportunity has come up and I’ve jumped at the chance of doing it.
“It’s just great to be back at the football club. I think most people know it’s a club close to my heart so to come back and work for it in any capacity is something I’m really excited about and can’t wait to get going.”
Welsh will be at Deepdale for the celebration of Mr Hemmings' life on Saturday 16th October, visiting the fan zone at 1.30pm for a question and answer session with supporters.