Gateshead FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Jacob Butterfield as player-assistant manager ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Butterfield will take on the role as Alun Armstrong’s number two at Gateshead International Stadium, alongside putting pen to paper on a one-year contract extension which will also see him remain as a member of the club’s first team squad.
The 35-year-old initially joined The Heed ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and went on to make 22 appearances across all competitions last term, scoring four goals before seeing his season cut short due to a long-term injury in November 2024.
The midfielder will now combine playing duties with a coaching role on Tyneside, having previously done so during Ben Clark’s stint as interim manager in October 2024.
“I’m very pleased on two fronts,” said Butterfield.
“I’m feeling really good and looking forward to getting back on the pitch as a player, and joining Alun on the staff as assistant manager is a great learning and development opportunity for me as a coach.
“I just love football – I love playing more than anything and I love being out on the grass coaching to try and make players as good as they can be. Now as assistant manager it’s more about implementing a style of play, creating our identity and what we want to be.
“Alun has got all his ideas, we’re very much aligned on a lot of things and I think he trusts me to implement detail and put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together. We’ve been working really well together, the sessions have been great and the lads have responded brilliantly.”
