Workington AFC appoints Carl Short as Head of Youth Development

Workington AFC are pleased to announce Carl Short as the club's new Head of Youth Development.

Carl brings a strong background in professional academy football. He spent five years at Luton Town, working across every phase of the academy, from the youngest age groups to scholars on the fringes of the first team. He then led the Under-15s and Under-16s at Carlisle United, preparing young players for the step up to the men's game.

Carl Short

A UEFA A Licence holder, Carl has been part of the coaching staff at Workington since August 2025 and now takes overall charge of the club's youth development programme.

Club Director Richard Lewthwaite said:

We are delighted Carl has agreed to take on the Head of Youth Development role and we look forward to working with him to ensure  the young footballers of West Cumbria have the best opportunities and player development pathway available to them. Never has it been evidenced more than in the last few weeks what a huge part our Youth Pathway plays in the creation of future first team stars and we now look to build on the foundations already in place to move it on to the next level.

Carl said:

I am delighted to step into the role of Head of Youth Development. Having been involved with the Under-23s programme over the past year, it has been fantastic to be fully immersed in youth football again. I would like to place on record my thanks to Brian Dawson for his excellent work, which provides a strong foundation for us to build upon as we take the academy to the next level.

Work is already underway to strengthen relationships with local academies and enhance the games programme for both boys and girls. Collaborating closely with the board, Craig Johnston, and James Telford, I believe we have immense potential to create outstanding opportunities for young people across the region and see more players proudly wearing the Workington badge.

My thanks go to the board for this opportunity—I can’t wait to work with the coaches, players and parents over the coming weeks.

Carl will work alongside established Boys and Girls leads Craig Johnston and James Telford respectively and will start work right away.