Crofts: I love seeing players develop

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Bruce Talbot

2025-06-21T06:00+01:00

Andrew Crofts. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Andrew Crofts talks us through his coaching journey, from junior park football in Kent, through to working with Fabian Hurzeler and Craig Bellamy with the Albion and Wales teams respectively…

Given how you played, as a commanding and vocal midfielder, was coaching something you always had in the back of your mind?

Andrew Crofts made 125 appearances for Albion's first team. 📷 by Bennett Dean.

As I got to my late twenties, early thirties, I really started to think about coaching as an option for when I stopped playing. Throughout my career I loved being a part of a team. I loved helping my teammates and trying to be a role model and leader on and off the pitch, especially to the younger players in the team. When I played for Wales, the coaches really encouraged me to start my coaching badges with the Welsh FA and I’ve since gone through that process, and the rest is history as they say.

Didn’t your son play a part as well?

He did. I helped out with his team back at U6/U7 level, getting involved in the training sessions, which led to me coaching them. It was really tough at the start because at that age they're so energetic and struggle to focus and listen all the time, but I managed to engage with them and educate them. I was able to teach them the basics of football and seeing them gradually make progress was something I took a great deal of satisfaction from.

Your first player-coach role was at Yeovil Town, wasn’t it?

It was probably the shortest player-coach role in history! I'd committed to do a full season there but then got the call from Brighton to offer me a role as an overaged player-coach with the under- 23s. The (then) Yeovil manager Darren Sarll, a really good guy who I’m still in contact with today, was obviously very disappointed, but he understood that this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. To come and work for a club that meant so much to me, in this new role, was something I just had to take.

What did your role entail?

I was actually the first person in the Premier League to fulfil this new over-aged player-coach role and it was really exciting for me, but also really new so I couldn't lean on anyone for help or advice. I had to learn on the job and quickly. I had to support the young players, challenge them and get them into a position where they were ready for first-team football, be it at our club or somewhere else.

Did you enjoy playing for the team?

Andrew Crofts played 20 games for our under-23s (now under-21s) during his time as player-coach. 📷 by James Boardman.

To be honest, I didn't really want to play because I'd experienced everything as a first-team player. I still wanted to get the boots on and train though; I wanted to be out there to drive up the standards, to be really competitive and to let it be known to the players that if they were not going to train better than me, then they’re not going to play in games. When I did play in competitive fixtures though, I really enjoyed it, building relationships with the lads on the pitch and to see who spoke, whose positioning was good, who was scanning properly, seeing what their body shape was like and seeing who I had to coach all the time and who was taking the initiative. I wouldn’t have the boots on every day though, which meant I could coach from the sidelines alongside Simon Rusk and Shannon Ruth.

Was there a good dynamic between the three of you?

It was really good. They allowed me to coach parts of a session, take some meetings and work on the tactics board within those meetings. I was so grateful to them in terms of how they helped me with my first real taste of coaching and then, when Simon left, I had the opportunity to take over as the head coach. That was a great learning experience as well and with Shan as my assistant, he was so supportive. We had an incredible relationship and had so much fun. We created a real spirit with the U23s and I was delighted and so proud to see Shan go on to become head coach himself. He really deserved that opportunity.

You’re now with the first team but all the coaches in the academy say you’re key when players move up to join the senior squad…

I was so grateful and thankful for my time with the academy that I have always kept a key interest. As a senior player I used to love seeing young players coming through and as a coach here I love seeing players develop and earn that call-up to the senior squad. I obviously want that to continue, so I'm always available, to be that link between the younger age groups and the first team, and to help the youngsters when they do come over to join us. We have a lot of talented young players, but it’s obviously a big step being among the first team.

Young players might think they’ve already made it when they step up, but that’s not the case, right?

You've got to make them aware of how challenging it is to have a long playing career as a professional footballer. I was always telling them that it's not easy, but if you set yourself the highest standards and you have the best basics of the game that you possibly can have, then you’ll have a chance. Talent is, of course, important, but every young player coming through a Premier League academy will have that, but if they’ve got the other facets as well, then they’ll give themselves the best possible chance of making it as a first-team player.

Tell us about your own transition to the first-team set-up…

Andrew Crofts was put in interim charge of the men's first team after Graham Potter's departure in 2022. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

When Graham (Potter) and his staff left, Shan and I took over for a brief interim period until Roberto (De Zerbi) was appointed. I knew Roberto was keen to have a British coach on his staff and the club really wanted me to be that person, so I was really excited about that. I'd never met Roberto before he arrived, but after a week or two, I could see what he was trying to achieve and how much I could help and be a part of that. After those initial couple of weeks, Roberto said to the club, “It has to be Crofty” and it was a nice feeling knowing both the club and manager wanted me on board.

Was it tough at first, given the change in style and language barrier?

It was tough – tough for everyone at the club and it took a lot of hard work, a lot of meetings, a lot of discussions and there were a lot of challenges. From my perspective, it was also important to let the new coaching team know about the values of the club and the things that are really important to us. You then want to make sure that the new staff feel that you're going to give them everything that you can to help them be successful. And that, for me, is the most important thing; whether it was with Roberto and his staff, and now Fabian and his staff, they have to feel that although I’ve been here for a long time, they know they can have 100 percent trust in me and that I’m going to give them everything I can for us to be as successful as we possibly can be.

Roberto certainly had a different way of playing. Did you learn a great deal from his blueprint for football?

Andrew Crofts was a part of Roberto De Zerbi's coaching staff. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

I learned so much from him and his coaches too, given their experiences in Italy, with Milan and also with Ukraine. Roberto was obsessed with the details and the ideas that he had were fascinating. I love it when people bring new ideas and talk about why they have that idea, how they train for it, how they deliver it, and the reasons behind it. Fabian is exactly the same; he has brought his own ideas and I’ve enjoyed absorbing his messages as quickly as I can. With Fabian and his coaching staff, we speak for hours and hours, looking at different things, studying things and then bringing it to the training sessions. That's a big part of why I love coaching and I’ve learnt so much from both the coaches I’ve worked with here.

Did the dynamic change when Fabian came in because you’re nine years his senior?

Andrew Crofts and Fabian Hurzeler celebrate after scoring against Bournemouth. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Not at all. The gaffer’s age was a big topic when he first signed, but for me, the dynamic was very clear – he's in charge and when you’re in his company, he has that aura and presence about him. I’m there to support him in every way possible, but he's also very open to hearing feedback and is interested in your ideas as well. As a result, we’ve become very close very quickly; we share the same passion for football, seeing players develop and building relationships with them. He also has an incredible winning mentality which comes from his background growing up at Bayern Munich. It's always nice when you meet someone that you can't wait to work for – and that’s the feeling I got from Fabian from the very first phone conversation with him last summer.

You’ve also become assistant to Craig Bellamy with the Wales national team this season. How did that come about?

I think it was Craig knowing me, knowing what I was like as a player and a person. I’m sure he would have done his homework as well, to find out what I was like as a coach because he wouldn’t have known that side of me. When I was involved with the national team as a player, Craig would have seen how committed I was and what my standards, work rate and attitude were like. I think he would have loved that because he was the same. We were both very fiery, very passionate and very demanding.

With Brighton you're obviously working for Fabian and his methods, so do you need to show flexibility when you link up with Wales?

Andrew Crofts became a part of Craig Bellamy's Wales coaching staff in August 2024. 📷 by Football Association of Wales.

For sure, but what Fabian and Craig have both done is make it very clear in terms of how they want to play, which then makes it easier for me as a coach. I’m therefore very clear in my head when I join up for international duty. I know my role, what I need to do. As a coach, you always have to adapt, it’s something you have to be good at, even if you're just doing the one role. The Wales role has come at a perfect time in my coaching career. I’d been a first-team coach at a Premier League club before I was appointed, so came into it with a good body of coaching work behind me. Now, to be an assistant at international level is a really nice progression for me, to keep moving forward in my development as a coach.

As a coach you’re no doubt like a sponge, taking everything in, so would you like to take a management role at some point in the future?

It’s a question I’ve been asked before, but the biggest thing for me is that I'm in no rush. I love what I'm doing; I love this club so much and everybody knows that. I love being the assistant to Fabian for Brighton and love being the assistant to Craig with my country. Maybe at some point management could well be an option, but, like I said, I’m in no rush. The biggest thing for me is that I feel like I'm progressing as a coach and adding value in terms of everything I do.