The former Salisbury City and Portsmouth man joins the national side at youth level, and he hailed the environment he’s leaving behind to head to St George’s Park.
He said, “I’m really excited and very proud to get the opportunity to work with the FA and the national side at the U18 age group. To work with the best players at that age group in the country is something I’m really looking forward to.
“It’s an opportunity I couldn’t turn down and I’m leaving this football club with a heavy heart because I’ve had a fantastic few years here.
“Everyone can see that the academy and the club is going from strength to strength both on and off the pitch, and it’s a really exciting place to be - I have nothing but positives to say about the people who I’ve worked with at this football club.”
Both Harris and Mark Beard have overseen a fantastic start to the season for the under-18s, who sit third and unbeaten in U18 Premier League south with six wins and two draws.
The club’s under-23 side also continue to ply their trade in the top-flight, with a number of faces from Simon Rusk’s side making their senior debuts against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup last month.
“This club has come on massively since I’ve been here across the board. The under-23s have developed unbelievably with their promotion and then coming so close to winning the league last season,” Harris continued.
“We had success in the FA Youth Cup last term with the under-18s, finished the season really strongly and have continued that this season, so all the sides have fared well. Those are the results based things, but the more pleasing thing for me is seeing individuals progress and watching them develop.
“The head coach has given opportunities in the first team to the likes of Haydon Roberts and Teddy Jenks, as well as a lot of the under-23 lads in the Carabao Cup.
“Then you have the likes of Steven Alzate and Aaron Connolly playing for the first team in the Premier League, that’s all happened in quite a short space of time and it’s testament to John Morling and his staff.
“You only have to look at where the academy was and compare where it is now to see that it’s a remarkable transformation. I’m really pleased for him and all the staff who work tirelessly in the academy.”
Harris finished by reiterating his thanks to the staff behind the scenes who he’s worked with in the club’s academy, emphasising his admiration for the ethos and attitude of his colleagues.
“We pride ourselves on being good people and there’s plenty of them at Brighton. All the players that come through have that humility and that’s thanks to the fantastic work of a lot of people who don’t always get recognised.
“The strength of the multidisciplinary team during my time here has been outstanding, from physios and strength and conditioning to the teachers in education, coaches, psychologists, the admin team and the analysts who produce everything for us.
“Those guys deserve all the credit they can get and I can’t say thank you enough for how they’ve been during my time here.”