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Vital Football Legend
The best signing of all.
Blackpool Football Club is pleased to announce that Neil Critchley has agreed a new, long-term contract at Bloomfield Road.
The Seasiders’ Head Coach, 43, has put pen-to-paper on a four-and-a-half year deal, which extends his stay with the Club until June 2026.
Having joined from Liverpool in March 2020, Critchley guided Blackpool to a promotion during his first, full season in charge, with a play-off final victory at Wembley in May securing a spot in the Sky Bet Championship.
Shortlisted for Manager of the Year at Monday’s Northwest Football Awards, Critchley has implemented and developed a strong and successful footballing philosophy at Blackpool, which currently sees the team sit in the top half of the Championship table.
Owner Simon Sadler said:
“Shortly after buying the Club, I realised that coaching and player development was going to be critical to our future success and on first meeting Critch in early 2020, I was impressed with how enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable he was about the game of football. Importantly though, The Board and I suspected that Neil was also primed to step up to first team management. Since working with him I have found him to not only be an outstanding Head Coach but also to be the consummate football professional who works hard, is humble and is a man of great integrity.
“What continues to impress me though is that he not only gets what we are trying to achieve at Blackpool Football Club but that he really gets what this Club and Town are all about. There is nobody else out there that I would rather partner with to take this great Club of ours forward and I relish watching Crich earn full legendary status over the coming seasons.
Neil Critchley said:
“I am absolutely delighted. It has been an immensely happy time for me at Blackpool. I’ve enjoyed every second of being here. I’m thankful to Simon and the Club for showing their commitment towards me. Due to the continued support of Simon, Brett and Ben, this has been an easy decision to make.
“I get to work with a great group of staff and a fantastic group of players who are hungry to improve. We have already shared some success, however we are ambitious and I feel that we still have further development to come. With the support of our incredible fans, I’m hopeful that we can share some more happy times together in the future.”
Blackpool Football Club is pleased to announce that Neil Critchley has agreed a new, long-term contract at Bloomfield Road.
The Seasiders’ Head Coach, 43, has put pen-to-paper on a four-and-a-half year deal, which extends his stay with the Club until June 2026.
Having joined from Liverpool in March 2020, Critchley guided Blackpool to a promotion during his first, full season in charge, with a play-off final victory at Wembley in May securing a spot in the Sky Bet Championship.
Shortlisted for Manager of the Year at Monday’s Northwest Football Awards, Critchley has implemented and developed a strong and successful footballing philosophy at Blackpool, which currently sees the team sit in the top half of the Championship table.
Owner Simon Sadler said:
“Shortly after buying the Club, I realised that coaching and player development was going to be critical to our future success and on first meeting Critch in early 2020, I was impressed with how enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable he was about the game of football. Importantly though, The Board and I suspected that Neil was also primed to step up to first team management. Since working with him I have found him to not only be an outstanding Head Coach but also to be the consummate football professional who works hard, is humble and is a man of great integrity.
“What continues to impress me though is that he not only gets what we are trying to achieve at Blackpool Football Club but that he really gets what this Club and Town are all about. There is nobody else out there that I would rather partner with to take this great Club of ours forward and I relish watching Crich earn full legendary status over the coming seasons.
Neil Critchley said:
“I am absolutely delighted. It has been an immensely happy time for me at Blackpool. I’ve enjoyed every second of being here. I’m thankful to Simon and the Club for showing their commitment towards me. Due to the continued support of Simon, Brett and Ben, this has been an easy decision to make.
“I get to work with a great group of staff and a fantastic group of players who are hungry to improve. We have already shared some success, however we are ambitious and I feel that we still have further development to come. With the support of our incredible fans, I’m hopeful that we can share some more happy times together in the future.”
