A new job for promotion-winning ex-Leeds United boss Simon Grayson - but a job very different to the ones he is used to.
Former Leeds United boss Simon Grayson's career as a player and then manager has taken him far and wide, even to India, Nepal and Indonesia of late.
But the next job now takes him back to where it all began - the promotion-winning ex-Whites boss launching the Simon Grayson Football Academy where the overriding aim is to improve every youngster - both as a footballer and a human being.
Now 56 years old, Grayson's three fantastic years as Leeds United manager between December 2008 and January 2012 were followed by stints in charge at six more EFL clubs in Huddersfield Town, Preston North End, Sunderland, Bradford City, Blackpool and Fleetwood Town before the Yorkshireman tried something very different in 2022.
It was then that Grayson was appointed the new manager of Indian Super League club Bengaluru and further experience in Asia followed as head coach of Nepal Super League club Lalitpur City and then most recently as assistant head coach of the Indonesia national side under boss John Herdman.
Grayson's work with Indonesia followed a brief return to management back on English shores at Hartlepool United which remains his most recent job in charge of a club, albeit further roles for the ever-busy Grayson have followed since including as an advisor to the board at Cork City.
Grayson also remains busy with media work and is always happy to fulfil anything that is asked of him by first love Leeds United such as his work for LUTV.
This week he even found himself on the oche playing against former world no 1 Luke Humphries as they promoted the PDC Grand Prix.
But a career that began as a youngster in Leeds United's Academy all started at grassroots level and Bedale for Ripon-born Grayson who feels the time is finally right to now launch his own Academy based at the impressive new £9.5m Woodhall Sports Hub facility in Calverley where he might just help the careers of future stars.
"It was something that I have always wanted to do”
Grayson explained: "As somebody who has been in professional football for 40 years, I started in grassroots football and it's about giving something back to that sort of level.
"It's so important for kids to develop and enjoy football at the grassroots level, people giving up the time, parents travelling around people, referees, committee people, groundsmen; it's all the grassroots football that starts everything.
"Every professional footballer started at that level at some point, and it just felt that this was a right time where I am in my own career now.
"I'm not sure I'm going back full-time as a manager at any point and I just thought that it's a good thing to do.
"My son Joe will be involved with it as well who is starting on his coaching journey as well.
"He's got his own Academy in Preston where he's doing like one on one and two on one things so we just felt it was the right time to do it.
"It was something that I have always wanted to do but I have just not had the time to do it when you're in full-time work playing and then ultimately as a manager.
"I had enough going on rather than trying to combine a couple of jobs!"
28th september 2026
Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub.
Pictured facilities at Woodhall Sports Hub
Picture Gerard Binksplaceholder image
28th september 2026 Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub. Pictured facilities at Woodhall Sports Hub Picture Gerard Binks
Having left Blackpool to become boss of Leeds back in 2008, Grayson's career has featured 11 jobs in management following on from a playing career which featured spells at first club Leeds, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool plus loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport County, Notts County and Bradford City.
As a player or manager, his career featured six promotions, an achievement which now lends itself to the six stars on the badge of the new Simon Grayson Football Academy where coaching will be on offer to both boys and girls aged from under-6s to under-14s.
The Academy will also have specialised goalkeeper coaching and guest appearances from former stars.
Grayson cannot guarantee that youngsters attending his Academy will be turned into stars themselves but the ex-Whites boss is intent on giving every young footballer that attends his sessions the best chance of ultimately maximising their potential both as a footballer but also a human being.
Pressed on his long-term vision for the Academy, Grayson reasoned: "Basically just to make sure really that people come and enjoy themselves, because that's what football is first and foremost about.
"But that they learn and develop and go away as better players.
"We can't promise anything in football like I'm going to get you into Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, Bradford City et cetera.
"But because of my connections then if I see people there then I can use those connections as well.
28th september 2026
Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub.
Pictured facilities at Woodhall Sports Hub
Picture Gerard Binksplaceholder image
28th september 2026 Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub. Pictured facilities at Woodhall Sports Hub Picture Gerard Binks
"We're going to give them different experiences of even ex players are going to come down and do guest appearance sessions for me as well so that's going to be good.
"But it's as long as they go away and they have learned and developed and they are good human beings after they've been with us, and they've taken something away from every session that they're here as well.
"It might only be one per cent but over a period of time that one per cent can improve a player an unbelievable amount.
"It's basically just about coaching the kids to just help them improve their football and then build up connections, partnerships with the clubs in the local area.
"Then they can go back to their own clubs and hopefully we've taught them something new that maybe their clubs can't do.
"We are there to work with clubs, not be competitors as we won’t do games in a league although we may take teams to play academies every so often.
28th september 2026
Pictured Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub.
Picture Gerard Binksplaceholder image
28th september 2026 Pictured Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub. Picture Gerard Binks
"We'll also be working with PE Partner who have had 19 years of after school clubs, safeguarding the welfare of children and a partnership that will help develop relationships with local clubs and communities.
“It's not just about the on the pitch stuff, but everything that I've learned in the last 40 years, my knowledge and experience that I want to pass on to all these kids that we want.
"We want to do the warm-ups the same way that professionals do. We will have classroom sessions where maybe kids are listening to a dietitian or they are listening to somebody from the data area, just because that's what you do at professional level.
"We just want to give them a little taste of what it's like, and hopefully they embrace it and get something from it."
That looks inevitable at an Academy headed up by a man whose career has featured over 40 years in professional football and over 1250 professional matches as a player or a manager.
Time will tell whether any more will follow, but right now Simon Grayson and the Simon Grayson Football Academy is the perfect fit.
28th september 2026
Pictured Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub.
Picture Gerard Binksplaceholder image
28th september 2026 Pictured Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson at his new football academy based at the new Woodhall Sports Hub. Picture Gerard Binks
"I'd never say never and if an opportunity comes around then maybe," said Grayson, asked if he could ever see himself going back into management.
"But I just felt this was the right timing. I've got lots on at the moment in terms of all my media work, I'm working with Cork City as well, I've been with Indonesia in March time. This has just come at a point where I'm thinking, 'yeah, I can be around it' and I'm here also to coach my coaches because that's an education for them because everything that I've been involved in for 40 years I want to pass on to them.
"So even in a few years, these coaches of mine now want to be the best coaches that they can be and I want to help and improve them as well as coaches.
"It's just where I want to be at this moment in time and what I'm doing again.
"If something comes up professionally then I'll see what it's like but at this moment in time I'm really enjoying what I'm doing and giving something back to grassroots football. It's where it all started for myself."
*For more information on the new Simon Grayson Football Academy, sessions, prices and full details visit https://simongraysonfootballacademy.co.uk/