Former English Premier League midfielder Jack Collision has been named the first head coach of the Huntsville City Football Club, which begins play this spring in Major League Soccer’s NEXT Pro League.

“I am very excited at the prospect of bringing soccer to the Rocket City and building a team that really represents the community,” Collison said in a news release. “I will look to build an exciting, fast paced brand of soccer that can bring success on the pitch in Huntsville, whilst helping to develop some of the future stars for Nashville SC.”

A former player of West Ham United in the English Premier League with a vast history of developing young talent in the U.S. and abroad, Collison joins Huntsville City FC after two seasons at the helm of Atlanta United FC 2. Collison joined Atlanta 2 in June of 2021 after serving as the head coach of the club’s U-17 Academy team.

Collison began his coaching career in 2015 with Peterborough’s Academy. In 2017, he returned to his playing club, West Ham United, where he coached the U-14, U-16 and U-18 squads through 2019.

“Jack is the ideal fit for this team with his broad mix of playing experience at a high level and the management of youth soccer programs in the UK and the US which give him a broad mix of experience,” ,” said Nashville SC CEO and Huntsville City FC President Ian Ayre. “We believe with the guidance and support of our coaching staff at NSC, Jack and his team have the ideal platform to create something very special at HCFC.”

“When we looked at a profile of what we thought the leader of Huntsville City FC looked like, very quickly it became evident that Jack was the ideal candidate,” added Mike Jacobs, general manager of Nashville SC and Huntsville City FC. “His ability to help develop future first team players for Nashville SC will be a critical asset in our pro player pathway. We are very excited about Jack’s addition, and know that he will play a key role in both growing players for NSC while also managing a very competitive team on the field in Huntsville.”

Huntsville City FC will play its home games at Joe Davis Stadium, which is currently undergoing a $28.8 million renovation. It is expected to be completed at the end of April.

Joining Collison’s staff will be assistant oach Omar Jarun, Goalkeeper Coach John Berner and Nick Law who will serve in the capacity of a player coach this season.

Huntsville City FC will hold an open tryout at the Merrimack turf field on Jan. 28-29. Registration is closed, but the public is welcome to watch the tryouts from beyond the fence.

Scott Turner reports from Huntsville for AL.com.