After a successful professional football career spanning over a decade, most notably at Bradford City, Mark Ellis turned his focus to coaching, spending several summers in the USA. During his time there, he encountered many talented young players with aspirations of playing in Europe, but opportunities to pursue this dream were limited. Determined to bridge this gap, Mark co-founded RIASA in partnership with Richmond American University London. As an integral part of the academy, Mark remains deeply involved, regularly attending matches to support the players and share his wealth of experience, inspiring the next generation of student-athletes to reach their full potential.

Dr. Colin Howley is the Head of Department at RIASA, leading the academic program and supporting students throughout their studies. With a doctorate from the University of Sheffield and over 15 years of experience in higher education, Colin is dedicated to providing an exceptional learning environment for all of our student-athletes. His research focuses on contemporary sporting cultures and their representation in media, with published work on topics such as basketball, cycling, and documentary film. Colin is passionate about connecting students with opportunities in the sports industry, ensuring they gain both academic and practical insights during their time at RIASA.

Karl joined us in 2025 with years of experience in football, both playing and coaching at an academy level for Manchester United alongside some of the club’s most successful talents in the past 30 years. Karl completed his UEFA A License in 2017 and has continued to work in high-level academies in the north west of England. His outstanding communication and organisational skills make him an exceptional leader and catalyst for development amongst young players.

Coach Kam returned as a RIASA Academy Coach in 2024 after coaching at RIASA in the early years of the programme. During his time away, Kam bolstered his coaching CV by working with teams and academies across the country before bringing his engaging coaching style and charm back to Leeds.

Coach Kam earned his UEFA B qualification award in 2018

The former Leeds United and Leicester City winger has an unmatched level of professional experience in football, with over 450 league appearances in England and Scotland. Tommy’s former coaching experience is also apparent in his intense but rewarding sessions, previously working at Barnsley, Swindon Town and Oldham Athletic as an assistant manager in the EFL.

After graduating from RIASA himself, Matthew is truly one of our own, going on to play soccer in a multitude of countries over a 10-year career. With playing experience in Norway, Spain, Sweden and England, Matthew brings a rich new perspective to the RIASA coaching team and uses his past experience as a RIASA student to enhance the development of our current roster.

Former professional goalkeeper at Barnsley FC and has served as a goalkeeping coach at Leeds United FC for the 1st Team, U21s, U18s, and Youth Academy over the past 23 years. He is currently the owner of Elite Goalkeeping UK, a national goalkeeping school, and is the designer and manufacturer of the EGK glove brand.

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Paul Barron brings over 50 years of goalkeeping experience to the RIASA coaching team. Serving as a first-team keeper for more than 8 professional English clubs, he has more recently worked as goalkeeping coach, most notably Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United.

Tom serves as our lead Physio for all squads, offering individual sessions by appointment and providing essential support during games. Tom brings experience from a multitude of sports including football, rugby union, netball and cricket.

Sue has been an integral member of the RIASA backroom staff since the very beginning, ensuring the smooth operation of the programme and providing invaluable support to both staff and students.

Heather manages finance, recruitment, and operations to ensure the program runs seamlessly, working closely with Claire Atkinson behind the scenes.

Claire serves as the lead recruiter for the Leeds programme, communicating with the future stars of RIASA before they’ve officially joined the programme.

Chris leads the marketing team at RIASA, providing high-quality content for our social media pages and managing our website, accompanying the team on matchdays to ensure the livestreams are running smoothly.

Ollie works alongside Chris to assist with all things media & marketing, whether that’s on our various social media channels or VEO Live, where friends and family can keep up to date with everything going on at RIASA