Gateshead FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Antony Sweeney as the club’s first team coach.
Sweeney’s appointment will see him join Rob Elliot and Louis Storey’s coaching team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and join Gateshead for the second time having done so as a player in 2016, shortly before commencing his coaching career with Hartlepool United.
The 40-year-old made 444 appearances for Pools as a player – ranking third in the club’s all-time appearance list – before re-joining as an academy coach in 2016 and making the step up to Hartlepool’s first-team coaching staff in 2019.
Sweeney worked with a number of managers across Hartlepool’s stints in League Two and the National League, in addition to taking interim and caretaker charge of the first team on four separate occasions from 2019 to 2022, and most recently acted as one of Kevin Phillips’ assistant managers during the 2023/24 season.
“It’s a fresh challenge for myself coming in, and a fresh pair of eyes at a football club that did really well last season,” said Sweeney.
“I think one of my strengths is working with players and helping to develop players, which I know is a key part of this football club’s philosophy and development plan.
“First and foremost, I’m looking forward to getting back to work, but more importantly looking to get to know the players as well. Pre-season is vital for that because you spend a lot of time on long sessions building towards that first game of the season.”
