James Coppinger Steps into New Head of Recruitment Role at Doncaster Rovers
- The former midfielder represented Doncaster Rovers for seventeen seasons and is the only player to have made over 600 appearances for the club
- James moves into the role from his previous position as Head of Football Operations
James Coppinger holds the distinction of being the only Doncaster Rovers player to make over 600 appearances for the club. Now, he is continuing his long association with the EFL League Two side after being appointed its new Head of Recruitment.
Football Careers client Coppinger — who made an incredible 695 appearances for Doncaster Rovers during his 17 years with the club as a player — moves into the role from his previous position as Head of Football Operations.
Following the appointment of Grant McCann as manager, Coppinger will now focus on leading Doncaster’s recruitment processes and assessing potential transfers.
The 42-year-old began his professional playing career with Kenny Dalglish’s Newcastle United before starring for Exeter City. He moved to Doncaster Rovers in May 2004 and represented the club on almost 700 occasions before announcing his retirement from playing in May 2021.
In his new role, Coppinger will contribute to opposition scouting, shape recruitment processes for the Academy, and assess loans for up-and-coming young players to enhance their football development, as well as perform coaching duties with the first team.
Coppinger, speaking to the Doncaster Rovers website, said:
“It’s something I’m excited about. The recruitment side is something that I’ve been doing probably more than anything else over the last 12 months – in terms of going to games and working with the recruitment staff on bringing players in.
“As well as that, I’ll be out on the grass a couple of days a week supporting the coaching staff. I’ve done my UEFA B Licence over the summer and I’ve really got a taste for coaching.
“I’ve really enjoyed it and I’ve obviously worked with a lot of the players so I’m really excited in getting back on the grass.”
Doncaster manager Grant McCann is looking forward to working with Coppinger in a coaching capacity, as well as spearheading the club’s recruitment strategy. McCann said:
“We want to make sure Copps is around the training ground with us and on the pitch with the players, but also working on the recruitment side of things, preparing dossiers and databases on players.
“He mentioned that he wanted to do a bit more on the grass and we’ll be helping and supporting him to go as far as he wants with that.
“He’ll be taking a lot of burden off me in talking to agents and representatives as well as compiling the lists of potential targets for us.”
