James Nichols will lead Cascadia into battle in London
[Cascadia prepares for first ‘World Cup’ appearance]
Prost Amerika can exclusively reveal that James Nichols will be the head coach of the Cascadia side to enter the ConIFA World Cup. The Kendal Town assistant coach has a UEFA B coaching license, and started his career at Kendal in the Evostik Premier division while completing a degree in sports coaching at the University of Central Lancashire.
He told Prost Amerika:
“I am delighted to be appointed as head coach of Cascadia and feel this is a fantastic opportunity for the region to make an impact on the world stage.”
He has a strong background in community soccer and graduated into coaching while a student. While studying for his degree, he attained his UEFA B qualification in coaching football, specialising in goalkeeping.
After leaving Kendal Town, he moved to Northwich Victoria for two years before becoming assistant manager of Penrith in the Northern League. During that time, he worked with the England futsal team as well as the development team.
After four years at Penrith, he was appointed manager of the first team and remained as manager at the border club for 18 months. He recently returned to Kendal Town as assistant coach. He also worked as a coach for Liverpool FC doing community work around the world.
He brings with him Shaun Gardner as his assistant. Gardner had trials for senior clubs like Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers, but then made made 300 Semi Professional appearances for teams such as Kendal Town, AFC Liverpool and Penrith.
Shaun Gardner in action at AFC Liverpool
He scored goals in senior competitions like the FA Cup and FA Vase. Gardner already has his Level 1 and Level 2 badges, and is currently working towards gaining a Uefa B Qualification in football coaching.
We’ll have reaction from CAFF President Aaron Johnsen later in the week, and more from both Nichols and Gardner in the run up to the tournament.
