SINCLAIR EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH CLUB’S YOUNGSTERS

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Former Claret explains his role within the Academy

2025-06-10T08:00:00.000Z

SINCLAIR EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH CLUB’S YOUNGSTERS

Former Claret explains his role within the Academy

2025-06-10T08:00:00.000Z

Former Claret explains his role within the Academy

Frank Sinclair is relishing the opportunity to fulfil his love of coaching within the Club’s Academy, working to develop the talent of tomorrow.

A Londoner by heart, Sinclair has resided in the northwest for more than 20 years and re-joined Burnley as a Youth Development Phase Coach in January of this year.

With more than 20 years playing experience and just shy of 300 Premier League appearances to his name, the 53-year-old has plenty of knowledge to share.

Speaking to the club website, Sinclair started by explaining his role.

“I’m a Youth Development Phase Coach, predominantly working with the U15s but I go across the board with U14s and U16s that are involved in the sessions as well,” he said.

“It’s been a really good challenge because there are lots of boys who have come in from grassroots football over the past 12 months or so.

“With that, you’re working on polishing up their individual technical ability and when they’ve not been in an academy from a really young age, they can pick up bad habits.

“There are some really interesting projects and lots of the boys have good potential.

“I’ve stayed this way ever since playing here and my relationship with the Club has always been good. I came in under Sean Dyche and watched him work while I was trying to improve myself as a coach.

“When the opportunity came to come back to the Club I was looking to get back into work closer to home, and after going for the job I was really pleased to get it!”

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Sinclair came through the Academy system at Chelsea and went on to make 218 competitive appearances in eight seasons for the Blues.

A defender by trade, he played a key role as Chelsea won the FA Cup, their first major trophy in 26 years, in 1997.

Other highlights include winning the Cup Winners’ Cup a year later and scoring in a League Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Sinclair’s storied playing career took him across the country and eventually finished at National League North level with Brackley Town.

Within that was three years at Burnley and, reflecting on his time as a Claret, he continued: “I loved my time at the Club!

“It was my first time stepping down from the Premier League to the Championship, and Steve Cotterill had a massive impact on that decision having worked with him at Leicester City the season before.

“He made that phone call about coming a long way up north and it was a big commitment to come and sign here.

“However, I had a good trust and relationship with Steve and there were no issues with that.

“I was one of the senior players and we had a good crop of young players coming through that had been recruited.

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“After signing in August I was club captain by Christmas when Robbie Blake left. Burnley was the first club that I’d been captain of, so I was really proud of that.

“I joined the club at 32 and felt good at the time but left after two and a half years.

“Playing in the Championship at 35 was challenging because it was getting quicker and the standard was getting better every year.

“I thought it was the right time to drop down a level, so that I could still have a good impact on games and have my experience be beneficial to the team I’m playing for. “

As is natural for any player, Sinclair’s thoughts turned to post-retirement career opportunities before he hung up his boots for good.

“I looked at coaching towards the end of my playing days with Wrexham,” he explained.

“I started in non-league management at step two for about three years – that was where my learning came.

“At that level you’re expected to get results at the same time as developing players which is always tough, but I thoroughly enjoyed that.

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“My first academy job was at Oldham Athletic, with Tony Philliskirk (Burnley U18s Manager) funnily enough.

“I learnt a lot off Tony in that period of time before going back into non-league management.”

After a brief stint as Head of Academy coaching at Port Vale, Sinclair spent the last three years before joining Burnley at Doncaster Rovers.

The 53-year-old undertook several roles in South Yorkshire and finished as the lead Professional Development Phase Coach with the U18s after a period as First Team Assistant Manager, which he describes as a ‘great learning curve’.

To finish, Sinclair reflected on how he and his Burnley colleagues try and get the best out of the players under their guidance.

“Different kids have got different ways of learning, which is something you need to understand as a coach.

“You take your badges to help with that and if the kids can get the basics right they’ve got half a chance of making it as a player, so there’s real repetition on that.

“You then go to the tactical side, and the understanding of what is needed physically too – so it’s an all-round approach to player development.”